This is a list of words, terms, concepts, and slogans that were have been or are used by the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 military. Ranks and translations of nicknames for vehicles are included. Also included are some general terms from the German language

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 found frequently in military jargon. Some terms are from the general German cultural background, others are given to show a change that was made before or after the Nazi

Nazism

Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...

 era. Some factories that were the primary producers of military equipment, especially tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

s, are also given.

A

• A-Stand — Forward defensive gunner's position on aircraft.
• abgeschossen — shot down; destroyed by means of firing.
• Abschnitt — sector, district.
• Abteilung
  Abteilung
  Abteilung is a German language word often used when referring to German or Swiss military formations...
  
   (Abt.) — a battalion
  Battalion
  A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
  
  -sized unit of armor
  Armoured warfare
  Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
  
  , artillery
  Artillery
  Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
  
   or cavalry
  Cavalry
  Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
  
  ; in other contexts a detachment
  Detachment (military)
  A detachment is a military unit. It can either be detached from a larger unit for a specific function or be a permanent unit smaller than a battalion. The term is often used to refer to a unit that is assigned to a different base from the parent unit...
  
   or section
  Section (military unit)
  A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...
  
  .
  • Abteilungsarzt — battalion physician
    Physician
    A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
    
    
  • Abteilungschef — battalion commander in artillery and cavalry formations
  • Abteilungsführer — substitute battalion commander in artillery and cavalry formations
  • Abteilungsveterinär — battalion veterinarian
    Veterinarian
    A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
    
    
• Abwehr
  Abwehr
  The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
  
   — "defense"; as a shortening of Spionage Abwehr (spy defense) the term referred to the counter-espionage service (German Secret Service) of the German High Command, headed by Admiral Canaris. Also an element in such compounds as Fliegerabwehr-Kanone "anti-aircraft gun."
• Abzeichen — insignia
  Insignia
  Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...
  
  ; badge
  Badge
  A badge is a device or fashion accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...
  
   of rank, appointment or distinction.
• Adlerangriff
  Operation Eagle Attack
  Adlertag was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff , which was the codename of a German military operation by the Luftwaffe to destroy the British Royal Air Force . By June 1940, the Allies had been defeated in Western Europe and Scandinavia...
  
   — "Eagle Attack"; term for projected "decisive attack" by the Luftwaffe on RAF
  Royal Air Force
  The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
  
   Fighter Command
  RAF Fighter Command
  RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
  
  .
• Aggregat 4 (A4) — original name of the German V2 rocket
  V-2 rocket
  The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
  
  .
• AGRU-Front — Technische Ausbildungsgruppe für Front U-Boote – technical training group for front-line U-boat
  U-boat
  U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
  
  s.
• AK — Alle Kraft (voraus), naval command for flank speed
  Flank speed
  Flank speed is a nautical term referring to a ship's true maximum speed, beyond the speed that can be reached by traveling at full speed. Usually, flank speed is reserved for situations in which a ship finds itself in imminent danger, such as coming under attack by aircraft...
  
  . Also "Äusserste Kraft!"
• Aal — "eel
  Eel
  Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
  
  "; slang for torpedo
  Torpedo
  The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
  
  .
• "Alarm!" — U-boat
  U-boat
  U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
  
   order to activate the alarm and begin a crash dive
  Crash dive
  A crash dive is a maneuver performed by a submarine to submerge as quickly as possible to avoid attack. Crash diving from the surface to avoid attack has been largely rendered obsolete with the advent of nuclear-powered submarines as they operate constantly submerged and are unlikely to be found on...
  
  . Also "Fire!", "Air raid!" for Luftwaffe fighter pilots, etc.
• Alarmtauchen — crash dive.
• "Alle Maschinen stop!" — naval command: "Stop all engines".
• "Alle Mann von Bord!" — naval command; "All hands, abandon ship!"
• Allgemeine SS
  Allgemeine SS
  The Allgemeine SS was the most numerous branch of the Schutzstaffel paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany. It was managed by the SS-Hauptamt...
  
   — "General SS", general main body of the Schutzstaffel made up of the full-time administrative, security, intelligence and police branches of the SS as well as the broader part-time membership which turned out for parades, rallies and "street actions" such as Kristallnacht
  Kristallnacht
  Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
  
  ; also comprised reserve and honorary members.
• Alte Hasen — "Old hares"; slang for military veterans who survived front-line hardships.
• Amerika Bomber
  Amerika Bomber
  The Amerika-Bomber project was an initiative of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium, the Nazi Germany Air Ministry, to obtain a long-range strategic bomber for the Luftwaffe that would be capable of striking the continental United States from Germany, a range of about 5,800 km...
  
   - A spring 1942 aviation contract competition for a Luftwaffe trans-oceanic range strategic bomber, only resulting in a few completed prototype aircraft from two firms, and many advanced designs that mostly remained on paper.
• Ami — German slang for an American soldier.
• Ärmelband — cuff title
  Cuff title
  A cuff title is a form of insignia placed on the sleeve, near the cuff of German military and paramilitary uniforms, most commonly seen in the Second World War but also seen postwar....
  
  . Worn on the left sleeve, the title contains the name of the wearer's unit or a campaign they are part of. Cuff titles are still used in the German Army and Luftwaffe.
• Amt — office, main office branch.
• Amt Mil — German Army intelligence organization which succeeded the Abwehr.
• Angriff — attack.
• Angriffsmuster — attack pattern.
• Angriffsziel — attack objective.
• Armee — army, typically a numbered army.
• Armeeabteilung — command between a corps
  Corps
  A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
  
   and an army
  Army
  An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
  
  , an enlarged corps headquarters.
• Armeekorps — infantry corps.
• Armee-Nachrichten-Führer — Army Signals Officer, served on the staff HQ of an Army.
• Armeeoberkommando — Field Army Command.
• Armee-Pionier-Führer — Army Engineer Officer, served on the staff HQ of an Army.
• Armee-Sanitäts-Abteilung — Army medical unit.
• Artillerie — artillery
  Artillery
  Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
  
  .
• Atomwaffe — nuclear weapon
  Nuclear weapon
  A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
  
  .
• Atomkrieg — nuclear war
  Nuclear warfare
  Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
  
  .
• ausgefallen — Statement that equipment is down, has failed, is out of action.
• aufgelöst — "dissolved"; disbanded, written off the order of battle
  Order of battle
  In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
  
  .
• Aufklärung — reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
  
  .
• Aufklärungs-Abteilung — reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
  
   unit or battalion, also used to designate certain battalion-sized units.
• "Auftauchen!" — "surface the boat".
• Auftragstaktik — mission-type tactics
  Mission-type tactics
  Mission-type tactics , have been a central component of the tactics of German armed forces since the 19th century. The term Auftragstaktik was coined by opponents of the development of mission-type tactics...
  
  , the central component of German warfare since the 19th Century
• Aus der Traum — literally, "The dream is over"; a slogan painted by German soldiers near the end of the war expressing the surreality of their situation.
• Ausführung (Ausf.) — version, model, variant, batch, for non-aviation related vehicles and ordnance.
• Ausführung!/Ausführen! — command to execute a given order
• Ausrüstung — equipement
• Ausschreitungen — bloody atrocities (see Greuelerzählungen).
• Auszeichnung — medal, accolade, distinction.

B

• B-Stand — Dorsal (top of fuselage) defensive gunner's position on aircraft.
• Backbord — Port side of a ship.
• Balkenkreuz
  Balkenkreuz
  The straight-armed Balkenkreuz, which is a stylized version of the Iron Cross, was the emblem of World War II Wehrmacht- Heer, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine....
  
   — equal-armed black cross flanked in white, the emblem used on German Empire and Third Reich military aircraft and vehicles from March/April 1918 until V-E Day
• Banditen — bandits, partisans
  Partisan (military)
  A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation by some kind of insurgent activity...
  
   in occupied territories in World War II; bewaffnete Banden — armed gangs; Soldaten in Zivilkleidung — soldiers in civilian dress; (see Franktireure).
• Bandengebiet — territory controlled by partisan squads in occupied territories during World War II.
• Bataillon — battalion
  • Bataillonsadjutant - battalion adjutant
  • Bataillonsarzt — battalion physician
  • Bataillonsführer — substitute battalion commander
  • Bataillonskommandeur — battalion commander
  • Batallionsveterinär — battalion veterinarian
• Batterie — battery
  Artillery battery
  In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
  
  , artillery
  Artillery
  Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
  
   piece; also used for an electrical battery
  Battery (electricity)
  An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
  
  .
  • Batteriechef — battery commander
  • Batterieführer — substitute battery commander
  • Batterieoffizier — Gun Position Officer
• Baubelehrung — vessel familiarization; when a boat or ship crew studied the construction of a new vessel; see "KLA."
• Baubeschreibung — General arrangement drawing sheet, giving basic dimensions and other measurement & physical parameters (materials, dihedral angles, etc.), of either German front line, or Beute, or "captured" Allied aircraft, in World War I.
• Baupionier — army construction engineer.
• B-Dienst
  B-Dienst
  The B-Dienst was a German naval codebreaking organisation. During World War II, B-Dienst solved British Naval Cypher No. 3, providing intelligence for the Battle of the Atlantic, until the British Admiralty introduced Naval Cypher No. 5 on 10 June 1943. B-Dienst also solved a number of merchant...
  
   — Beobachtungsdienst, literally, "observation service"; German Navy cryptanalytical
  Cryptanalysis
  Cryptanalysis is the study of methods for obtaining the meaning of encrypted information, without access to the secret information that is normally required to do so. Typically, this involves knowing how the system works and finding a secret key...
  
   department.
• BDM Bund Deutscher Mädel
  League of German Girls
  The League of German Girls or League of German Maidens , was the girl's wing of the overall Nazi party youth movement, the Hitler Youth. It was the only female youth organization in Nazi Germany....
  
   — League of German Girls, the girls' segment of the Hitler Youth
  Hitler Youth
  The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
  
  .
• BdU — Befehlshaber der U-Boote
  Befehlshaber der U-Boote
  Befehlshaber der U-Boote was the title of the supreme commander of the Kriegsmarines U-boat Arm during World War II. The term also referred to the Command HQ of the U-boat arm itself....
  
  – Commander-in-Chief of the U-boats (Admiral Karl Dönitz
  Karl Dönitz
  Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
  
  ); see FdU.
• Befehl (pl. Befehle) — order, command. "Zu Befehl!" was an affirmative phrase on par with "Jawohl".
• Befehlshaber — commander-in-chief; lit. "one who has (the power to issue) commands." Sometimes also used to refer to the headquarters of a C-in-C as an alternative to Hauptquartier.
• Benzin — gasoline
  Gasoline
  Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
  
  , petrol.
• Benzintank — fuel tank
  Fuel tank
  A fuel tank is safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propelled or released into an engine...
  
  .
• Beobachter — artillery
  Artillery observer
  A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away...
  
   or air observer
  Air observer
  An air observer is a British term for a military aircrew member whose duties are predominantly reconnaissance. The term originates in the First World War in the Royal Flying Corps, and was maintained by its successor, the Royal Air Force...
  
  
• Beobachtungsoffizier — Artillery observer
  Artillery observer
  A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away...
  
  
• Beobachtungswagen — observation or reconnaissance vehicle.
• Bereitschaft — readiness.
• Bergepanzer — armoured recovery vehicle.
• Betriebstoff — fuel
• Beschlagschmied — blacksmith; see Hufbeschlagschmied.
• Beutepanzer — captured tank or armoured vehicle.
• Bewährungseinheit — probationary unit
• BK — Bordkanone. heavy-calibre (usually over 30 mm) cannon for offensive use on aircraft.
• Blechkoller — "tin fright"; in U-boat
  U-boat
  U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
  
  s, a form of nervous tension that could be caused by depth charge
  Depth charge
  A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
  
   attacks and resulted in violence or hysteria
  Hysteria
  Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
  
  .
• Blechkrawatte — "tin necktie," slang for the Knight's Cross
  Knight's Cross
  Knight's Cross refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield....
  
  
• Blitzkrieg
  Blitzkrieg
  For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
  
   — "lightning war"; not a widely used German military term, this word became popular in the Allied press and initially referred to fast-moving battle tactics
  Military tactics
  Military tactics, the science and art of organizing an army or an air force, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. Changes in philosophy and technology over time have been reflected in changes to military tactics. In...
  
   developed principally by German military theorists, most notably Erwin Rommel
  Erwin Rommel
  Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
  
  , Heinz Guderian
  Heinz Guderian
  Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German general during World War II. He was a pioneer in the development of armored warfare, and was the leading proponent of tanks and mechanization in the Wehrmacht . Germany's panzer forces were raised and organized under his direction as Chief of Mobile Forces...
  
  , and Erich von Manstein
  Erich von Manstein
  Erich von Manstein was a field marshal in World War II. He became one of the most prominent commanders of Germany's World War II armed forces...
  
  , using massed tank
  Tank
  A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
  
  s and ground-attack bomber
  Bomber
  A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
  
  s to speedily penetrate enemy lines at points and move to their rear, causing confusion and panic among enemy forces.
• Bola — contraction of Bodenlafette, a lightly armoured casemate
  Casemate
  A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
  
  -style of bulged ventral defensive gunner's position, using only flexible (unturreted) weapon mounts, a common fitment on German bomber aircraft designs, usually under the nose.
• Bomber B
  Bomber B
  Bomber B was a German military aircraft design competition dating to just before the start of World War II to develop a second-generation high-speed bomber that would both be a direct successor to the Schnellbomber design philosophy, and to replace all medium and heavy bombers then in service with...
  
   - the abortive aviation contract competition meant to replace all previous Luftwaffe medium bombers with a single design, meant to be used for all but the longest-range missions, and function as a combination of medium and heavy bomber
  Heavy bomber
  A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
  
  .
• Brotbeutel — haversack
  Haversack
  A haversack is a bag, usually carried by a single shoulder strap. Although similar to a backpack the single shoulder strap differentiates this type from other backpacks. There are exceptions to this general rule.-Origins:...
  
  
• Brücke — bridge
  Bridge
  A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
  
  . Can mean either the road structure or a ship's command center, also the supporting framework that existed below the bird-like monoplane wings of the earlier examples of the Etrich Taube before World War I.
• Brückenleger — bridgelayer.
• Brummbär
  Brummbär
  The Sturmpanzer IV was a German armoured infantry support gun based on the Panzer IV chassis used in the Second World War. It was used at the Battles of Kursk, Anzio, Normandy, and helped to put down the Warsaw Uprising...
  
   — "grumbling bear
  Bear
  Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
  
  "; a children's word for "bear" in German. It was the nickname for a heavy mobile artillery piece.
• Bundes — federal
  Politics of Germany
  The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal parliamentary republic, based on representative democracy. The Chancellor is the head of government, while the President of Germany is the head of state, which is a ceremonial role but with substantial reserve powers.Executive power is vested in the...
  
  .
• Bundeswehr
  Bundeswehr
  The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
  
   — "Federal Defense Force", name adopted for the West German armed forces after the fall of the Third Reich. (Between 1945 and 1955 there was no German army.) The Bundeswehr consists of the Heer
  German Army
  The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
  
  (Army), Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
  (Air Force) and Marine
  German Navy
  The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
  
  (Navy), as well as (since the late 1990s) the Streitkräftebasis
  Streitkräftebasis
  Streitkräftebasis is a branch of the German Bundeswehr established in October 2000 as a result of major reforms of the German Bundeswehr. It handles various logistics and organisational tasks of the German Armed Forces...
  
  (Joint Service Support Command) and Zentraler Sanitätsdienst
  Central Medical Services
  The Bundeswehr's Joint Medical Service is a part of the German Armed Forces but explicitly no new branch of arms. Medical personnel of all three branches were assigned to a centralized authority which was installed to concentrate their capabilities. However these troops remain members of their...
  
  (Central Medical Service).
• Bürger — citizen
  Citizenship
  Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
  
  .
• Bürgerkrieg — civil war
  Civil war
  A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
  
  .

C

• C-Stand — Ventral (underside of fuselage) defensive gunner's position on aircraft.
• Chef — commander of a unit or sub-unit, e.g. Regimentschef. A substitute in case of absence would be referred to as Regimentsführer etc.
• Chef des Generalstabes — Chief of the General Staff
  General Staff
  A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
  
  .

D

• Daimler-Benz
  Daimler-Benz
  Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and internal combustion engines; founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest - which was valid until year 2000 - was signed on 1 May 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which had...
  
   (DB) — A producer of military vehicles, and engines to power both German aircraft and surface vehicles.
• Deutsches Afrikakorps
  Afrika Korps
  The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
  
   (DAK) — German troops sent to North Africa
  North Africa
  North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
  
   under the command of Erwin Rommel
  Erwin Rommel
  Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
  
   to prevent the loss of Libya
  Libya
  Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
  
   to the British
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
   by the Italians
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
  . The term is properly used to refer to Rommel's original force of two divisions that landed in Libya on February 14, 1941 (which stayed as a distinct formation for the remainder of the North African Campaign
  North African campaign
  During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
  
  ), but is often used to describe all German forces that operated in North Africa, eventually consisting of several divisions and corps and formed into an entire Panzer Army.
• Dienst — service.
• Division — in the army and air force a military formation, in the navy either a sub-unit of a squadron or trainings units of battalion size
  • Divisionsarzt — Medical officer of a division
  • Divisionskommandeur — General officer commanding a division
• Dienstdolch — service dagger (uniform dagger).
• Drahtverhau — barbed-wire entanglement. Slang term used by German soldiers during World Wars I and II for a military-issue mixture of dried vegetables.
• Drang nach Osten
  Drang nach Osten
  Drang nach Osten was a term coined in the 19th century to designate German expansion into Slavic lands. The term became a motto of the German nationalist movement in the late nineteenth century...
  
   — "Push to the East", Germany's ambitions for territorial expansion into Eastern Europe.
• Düppel — German code name for radar chaff, used by the Royal Air Force as Window, possibly from düpieren (to dupe). or from a suburb of Berlin of the same name, where it was allegedly first found near.

E

• Eagle's Nest — English name given to Hitler's mountain-top summerhouse at Berchtesgaden
  Berchtesgaden
  Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
  
   in the Bavaria
  Bavaria
  Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
  
  n Alps
  Northern Limestone Alps
  The Northern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...
  
  , not far from the Berghof
  Berghof
  Berghof or Berghoff may refer to:* Herbert Berghof, founder of HB Studio in New York City* Berghof , Adolf Hitler's home in the mountains of Bavaria* Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies* The Berghoff , Chicago...
  
  . In German, it is known as the Kehlsteinhaus
  Kehlsteinhaus
  The Kehlsteinhaus is a chalet-style structure erected on a subpeak of the Hoher Göll known as the Kehlstein. It was built as an extension of the Obersalzberg complex erected in the mountains above Berchtesgaden...
  
  . Hitler, however, only visited the property ten times and each visit was under 30 minutes.
• EGz.b. V. — Einsatzgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung – SS Special Purpose Operational Group.
• Ehrendolch — literally, "honor dagger", a presentation
  Ceremonial weapon
  A ceremonial weapon is an object used for ceremonial purposes to display power or authority. They are often used in parades, and as part of dress uniforms.Although they are descended from weapons used in actual combat, they are not normally used as such...
  
   dagger
  Dagger
  A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
  
   awarded for individual recognition, especially by the SS.
• Eichenlaubträger — holder of Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
  
  .
• Eid — oath
  Oath of enlistment
  thumb|A Marine re-enlists in the Marine Corps taking the Oath of EnlistmentUpon enlisting in the United States Armed Forces, each person enlisting in an armed force takes an oath of enlistment required by federal statute in...
  
  . The current oath when joining the Bundeswehr is "Ich gelobe, der Bundesrepublik Deutschland treu zu dienen, und das Recht und die Freiheit des deutschen Volkes tapfer zu verteidigen" ("I pledge to faithfully serve the Federal Republic of Germany and to bravely defend the right [law] and the freedom of the German people"). For soldiers joining for an extended period of time beyond the mandatory conscription of nine months, "so wahr mir Gott helfe" ("so help me God") is optionally added.
• Einfall — invasion
  Invasion
  An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
  
  .
• Eingeschlossen — encirclement
  Encirclement
  Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The German term for this is Kesselschlacht ; a comparable English term might be "in the bag"....
  
  , surrounded, cut off.
• Einheit — detachment or unit.
• Einheitsfeldmütze - standard field cap
  M43 field cap
  The M43 field cap or "Einheitsmütze" was a cap used by the German Wehrmacht and SS, during World War II. The design of the fieldcap was based on the German Gebirgsjäger's ski cap, the only differences being the bill was slightly extended and the top panel of the hat had a smaller circumference,...
  
  
• Einsatz — duty, mission, deployment, action.
• Einsatzbereit — statement meaning, "Ready for action."
• Einsatzgruppen
  Einsatzgruppen
  Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
  
   — "mission groups", or "task forces". Einsatzgruppen were battalion-sized, mobile killing units made up of SiPo, SD or SS Special Action Groups under the command of the RSHA. They followed the Wehrmacht into occupied territories of Eastern Europe
  Eastern Europe
  Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
  
   and the Soviet Union
  Soviet Union
  The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
  
  . These units were supported by units of the uniformed German Order Police (Orpo) and auxiliaries of volunteers (Estonia
  Estonia
  Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
  
  n, Latvia
  Latvia
  Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
  
  n, Lithuania
  Lithuania
  Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
  
  n, and Ukrainian
  Ukraine
  Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
  
  ). Their victims, primarily Jews, were executed by shooting and were buried in mass graves from which they were later exhumed and burned. At least a million Jews were killed in this manner. There were four Einsatzgruppen (A, B, C, D), which were subdivided into company-sized Einsatzkommandos.
• Einsatzkommando
  Einsatzkommando
  During World War II, the Nazi German Einsatzkommandos were a sub-group of five Einsatzgruppen mobile killing squads—up to 3,000 men each—usually composed of 500-1,000 functionaries of the SS and Gestapo, whose mission was to kill Jews, Romani, communists and the NKVD collaborators in the captured...
  
   — company-sized subunits of the Einsatzgruppen which took care of the mobilization and killing of Jews, Communists and others during the German invasion into the Soviet Union.
• Einwohner — resident, inhabitant.
• Eisenbahn — "iron road"; railroad.
• Eisernes Kreuz
  Iron Cross
  The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
  
   — "iron cross"; medal awarded for valorous service, and the German national military insignia from 1910 to the beginning of spring 1918, and once again from 1955 (with the establishment of the Bundeswehr
  Bundeswehr
  The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
  
  ) to today.
• Elefant
  Elefant
  The Elefant was a "schwerer Panzerjäger" of the German Wehrmacht used in small numbers in World War II. It was built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1944, after modification of the existing vehicles, they were renamed Elefant...
  
   — "Elephant"; a heavy Panzerjäger
  Panzerjäger
  Panzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
  
  (tank hunter or tank destroyer) built on the chassis of Porsche's unsuccessful prototypes for the Tiger tank, and mounting the 88mm L/71 PaK 43.
• Elektra — a German radio-navigational system.
• Endlösung or Endziel — the "Final Solution"; refers to the genocide
  Genocide
  Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
  
   planned against the Jewish people.
• Endsieg
  Endsieg
  Endsieg is German for "final victory". It is used in the meaning that a victory is taken for granted even though all odds are against it.- Origin and historical usage :The word became commonly used in World War I...
  
   — final victory.
• Enigma
  Enigma machine
  An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
  
   — German message encryption
  Encryption
  In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
  
   equipment.
• Ententeich — duck pont, maritime manoeuvre to create an area of calm sea in order to lower boats into the water or land aircraft
• Entmenscht — dehumanized (see Untermenschen).
• Entscheidender Sieg — decisive victory
  Decisive victory
  A decisive victory is an indisputable military victory of a battle that determines or significantly influences the ultimate result of a conflict. It does not always coincide with the end of combat...
  
  .
• Erobert — conquered.
• Erkennungsmarke — identity tag; "dog tag".
• Erprobungsstelle — test centre
• Ersatz — substitute, replacement, reserves; could refer to replacement troops or any substance used in place of another (e.g., ersatz coffee, ersatz rubber, etc.).
• Ersatzbataillone or Marschbataillone — coherent military replacement groups.
• Etappendienst — German naval intelligence department.
• Etappenschwein — (slang) "rear swine" (REMF).
• Exerzierpanzer — practice or exercise tank.

F

• Fahne (pl. Fahnen) — flag or banner.
• Fahnenschmied — farrier
  Farrier
  A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
  
   NCO
• Fahnenflucht — desertion
  Desertion
  In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
  
  
• Fähnrich zur See — lowest naval officer rank, equivalent to Cadet or Ensign
  Ensign (rank)
  Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
  
   (literal meaning, "naval ensign-bearer")
• Fallschirmjäger
  Fallschirmjäger
  are German paratroopers. Together with the Gebirgsjäger they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army....
  
   — paratrooper
  Paratrooper
  Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
  
  s; German airborne troops
  Airborne forces
  Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
  
  .
• FdU — Führer der U-Boote
  Führer der U-Boote
  The post of Führer der U-Boote was the senior commanding officer of the submarine service in the pre-World War II German Kriegsmarine, and the title of several senior commands during the war. From January 1936 and until 17 October 1939, Karl Dönitz served in this position...
  
  ; Commander-in-Chief of U-boats (used from World War I to 1939, when the title was reduced to "Regional Commander").
• Feigling — coward
  Cowardice
  Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...
  
  .
• Feind — enemy
  Enemy combatant
  Enemy combatant is a term historically referring to members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war. Prior to 2008, the definition was: "Any person in an armed conflict who could be properly detained under the laws and customs of war." In the case of a civil war or an...
  
  . "Feindlich-" is used as an adjective, such as "feindliche Truppen" (enemy troops) or "feindliche Stellung" (enemy position).
• Feindfahrt — "enemy trip"; in U-boat terminology, a war cruise or combat patrol against the enemy.
• Feindbild — "enemy image"; prejudiced 'bogeyman' image of the enemy.
• Feld — field.
• Feldersatzbatallion — field replacement battalion, usually one per infantry division
• Feldflasche — canteen
• Feldflieger Abteilung
  Feldflieger Abteilung
  Feldflieger Abteilung or Field Flying Companies were the pioneering field aviation units of the Luftstreitkräfte in World War I.-Composition:...
  
   — "field airmen's section", abbreviated as "FFA". The earliest form of Luftstreitkräfte
  Luftstreitkräfte
  The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
  
   military flying unit in World War I, first formed in 1914 with six two-seater observation aircraft per unit.
• Feldgendarmerie
  Feldgendarmerie
  The Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
  
   — Field Gendarmerie or "Field Police", the military police
  Military police
  Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
  
   units of the Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
  .
• Feldgrau — "field gray"; term used to describe the color of the ordinary German soldier's tunic – by extension the soldiers themselves.
• Feldjäger
  Feldjäger
  For the German Military Police in WWII see: Feldjaegerkorps and FeldgendarmerieIn presence Feldjäger is the name of military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. The term Feldjäger, literally meaning field huntsmen or field Jäger, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th...
  
   — military police
  Military police
  Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
  
   detachments formed late in the war to root out deserters; later the name was applied to all military police units of the postwar Bundeswehr
  Bundeswehr
  The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
  
  .
• Feldkoch — cook
• Feldlazarett — field hospital
  Field hospital
  A field hospital is a large mobile medical unit that temporarily takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent hospital facilities...
  
  .
• Feldpolizeibeamter — field police officer
• Feldpost
  Feldpost
  Feldpost is the German military mail service. Its history dates back to the 18th century in the Kingdom of Prussia during the Seven Years' War and War of the Bavarian Succession and has existed ever since in different forms and shapes.-World War II:...
  
  , Feldpostbrief — mail to and from troops at the front.
• Feldwebel
  Feldwebel
  Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
  
   — non-commissioned rank in the Heer and Luftwaffe, the most junior of the "Unteroffiziere mit Portepee" (senior NCO) ranks. Approximately equal to staff sergeant.
• Feldzug — military campaign
  Military campaign
  In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
  
  
• Fernglas — binoculars
  Binoculars
  Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
  
  ; literally "remote glass"..
• Fernmelde- — telecommunication
• Feldpost — field post
• Fernsprech- — telephone
• Festung — fortress
  Fortification
  Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
  
  .
• "Feuer auf mein Kommando" — "fire on my command".
• "Feuer Frei" — "fire at will".
• Feuerschutz — suppressive fire
  Suppressive fire
  In military science, suppressive fire is a fire that degrades the performance of a target below the level needed to fulfill its mission. Suppression is usually only effective for the duration of the fire. Suppressive fire is not always a direct form of fire towards targets; it can be an effective...
  
  , covering fire.
• Feuerwerker — ordnance
  Military logistics
  Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with:...
  
   NCO
• FlaK — Fliegerabwehrkanone, Flug(zeug)abwehrkanone – air defense gun; anti-aircraft artillery
  Anti-aircraft warfare
  NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
  
   (AAA) (e.g., the "eighty-eight
  88 mm gun
  The 88 mm gun was a German anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery gun from World War II. It was widely used by Germany throughout the war, and was one of the most recognizable German weapons of the war...
  
  ").
• FlaK-Helfer — "FlaK helper"; often underaged auxiliaries used to load and operate FlaK batteries and man searchlight batteries.
• Flakpanzer — armoured self-propelled antiaircraft gun, such as the Möbelwagen
  Möbelwagen
  The 3.7cm FlaK auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen IV , nicknamed Möbelwagen because of its boxy turret , was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built from the chassis of the Panzer IV tank...
  
  .
• Flammpanzer — flame-throwing tank.
• Flammenwerfer — flame-thrower
  Flamethrower
  A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
  
  .
• Fliegerabwehr-Abteilung — anti-aircraft battalion.
• Fliegerabwehrkanone — see FlaK.
• Fliegerdivision - lit. Flight division.
• Fliegerkorps - lit. Flight corps
• Fliegerschwert — airman's sword (part of an officer's regalia
  Ceremonial weapon
  A ceremonial weapon is an object used for ceremonial purposes to display power or authority. They are often used in parades, and as part of dress uniforms.Although they are descended from weapons used in actual combat, they are not normally used as such...
  
  ).
• Flotte — naval fleet
  Naval fleet
  A fleet, or naval fleet, is a large formation of warships, and the largest formation in any navy. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land....
  
  .
• Flucht nach vorn — "flight to the front"; trying to assault rather than wait or retreat while under threat.
• Flüchtlingslager — refugee camp
  Refugee camp
  A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
  
  .
• Flugzeug — aircraft.
• Flug(zeug)abwehrkanone — see FlaK.
• Flugzeugträger — aircraft carrier
  Aircraft carrier
  An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
  
  .
• Fluten — U-boat order; "Flood the tanks!"
• Forschungsamt — intelligence service of the Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
  .
• Frachter — freighter
  Cargo ship
  A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
  
  .
• Franktireure — terrorists
  Terrorism
  Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
  
  ; (see Freischärler).
• Franktireurkrieg — terrorist warfare
  Guerrilla warfare
  Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
  
  .
• Fregattenkapitän — Naval rank, literally meaning "Frigate Captain
  Frigate Captain
  Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries.It is, usually, equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander.Countries using this rank include Argentina and Spain , France , Belgium , Italy ,...
  
  ", in between Korvettenkapitän and Kapitän zur See. Commanded a light cruiser, or served as the executive officer
  Executive officer
  An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
  
   on a capital ship, hence often translated as Commander
  Commander
  Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
  
  
• Freikorps
  Freikorps
  Freikorps are German volunteer military or paramilitary units. The term was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of the 18th century onwards. Between World War I and World War II the term was also used for the paramilitary organizations that arose during...
  
   — volunteer corps; (see Freiwillige).
• Freischärler — irregular or guerrilla (see Widerstandskräfte).
• Freischärlerunwesen — "pestering by guerrillas"; guerrilla activities or terrorist incidents.
• Freiwillige
  Europäische Freiwillige
  Europäische Freiwillige is a German term meaning 'European Volunteers', derived from the German 'Freiwillige' , and is used to describe volunteers from an occupied country who join the army of the occupier.-Background:...
  
   — volunteer.
• Fremde Heere Ost/West (FHO/FHW) — Foreign Armies East/West, staff intelligence specialist on the subject.
• Frieden — peace
  Peace
  Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
  
  .
• Fritz-X — The Luftwaffe's radio-controlled glide bomb, precursor to today's "smart weapons" or PGM's.
• Fronterlebnis — front experience.
• Frontgemeinschaft — front-line comradeship or community; group of front-line combat soldiers.
• Frontkämpfer — front line soldier.
• Frontschwein — soldier serving long at the front.
• Der Führer
  Führer
  Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
  
   — "The Leader"; title used by Adolf Hitler
  Adolf Hitler
  Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
  
  : Mein Führer, Der Führer.
• Führerbunker
  Führerbunker
  The Führerbunker was located beneath Hitler's New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943...
  
   — (literally meaning "shelter [for the] leader" or "[the] Führer's shelter") was located about 8.2 metres beneath the garden of the old Reich Chancellery building at Wilhelmstraße 77, and about 120 metres north of Hitler's New Reich Chancellery
  Reich Chancellery
  The Reich Chancellery was the traditional name of the office of the Chancellor of Germany in the period of the German Reich from 1871 to 1945...
  
   building in Berlin. This underground bunker was Hitler's last FHQ and where he and his wife Eva Braun
  Eva Braun
  Eva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
  
   ended their lives on 30 April 1945.
• Führerhauptquartiere
  Führer Headquarters
  The Führer Headquarters , abbreviated FHQ, is a common name for a number of official headquarters used by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and various German commanders and officials throughout Europe during World War II...
  
   (FHQ), a number of official headquarters especially constructed in order to be used by the Führer
  Führer
  Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
  
  .
• Führersonderzug
  Führer Headquarters
  The Führer Headquarters , abbreviated FHQ, is a common name for a number of official headquarters used by the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and various German commanders and officials throughout Europe during World War II...
  
  , a special train built for and used by the Führer
  Führer
  Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
  
  .
• Führer — in the army a substitute commander of a unit or sub-unit in absence of the regular commander (see 'Chef'); in the navy a flag officer (e.g. Führer der Uboote)
• SS-Führungshauptamt — SS Leadership Head Office, the administrative headquarters of the Waffen-SS.
• Funke — 1) radio
  Radio
  Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
  
   [die Funke, f., slang abbreviation for Funkgerät]; 2) spark [der Funke, m.]; the literal (pre-radio) meaning of the word.
• Funker — radio operator (from funken [verb], to transmit by radio).
• Funkgerät (prefix: FuG)
  Luftwaffe radio equipment (Funkgerät) of WW II
  During World War II, the German Luftwaffe relied on an increasingly diverse array of communications , IFF and RDF equipment for use in their aircraft and on the ground. Most of this equipment received the generic prefix FuG for FunkGerät or Radio Equipment. Most of the aircraft-mounted Radar...
  
   — generic term for radio and airborne IFF
  Identification friend or foe
  In telecommunications, identification, friend or foe is an identification system designed for command and control. It is a system that enables military and national interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the...
  
  , RDF
  Direction finding
  Direction finding refers to the establishment of the direction from which a received signal was transmitted. This can refer to radio or other forms of wireless communication...
  
   and airborne and some ground based Radar
  Radar
  Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
  
   equipment.
• Funkmessbeobachtungsgerät (FuMB) — radar detector
  Radar detector
  A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to detect if their speed is being monitored by police or law enforcement using a radar gun. Most radar detectors are used so the driver can reduce the car's speed before being ticketed for speeding...
  
  .
• Füsilier
  Fusilier
  Fusilier was originally the name of a soldier armed with a light flintlock musket called the fusil. The word was first used around 1680, and has later developed into a regimental designation.-History:...
  
   — historic term often used to refer to light infantry
  Light infantry
  Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
  
  , originally named after the fusil, or musket
  Musket
  A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
  
  , such troops once carried. During World War II, a name given to infantry formations with some reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
  
   abilities that replaced an infantry division's reconnaissance battalion mid-war when the Germans reduced the number of standard infantry battalions in their divisions from 9 to 6.
• Futtermeister — Quartermaster responsible for fodder
• Freya radar
  Freya radar
  Freya was an early warning radar deployed by Germany during World War II, named after the Norse Goddess Freyja. During the war over a thousand stations were built. A naval version operating on a slightly different wavelength was also developed as Seetakt...
  
   — first operational radar with the Kriegsmarine
  Kriegsmarine
  The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
  
  .

G

• Gabelschwanzteufel — P-38 Lightning
  P-38 Lightning
  The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
  
   "Fork Tailed Devil".
• Gasmaske — gas mask
  Gas mask
  A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...
  
  
  • Gasmaskenbehälter — gas mask container
• Gaspistole — starting pistol
  Starting pistol
  A starting pistol or starter pistol is a handgun or electronic toy weapon that is fired to start track and field races, as well as competitive swimming races at some meets. The loud report of the gun going off is a signal to the athletes to begin the event. Usually a cloud of smoke can be seen...
  
  ; a gun that fires blanks.
• Gauleiter
  Gauleiter
  A Gauleiter was the party leader of a regional branch of the NSDAP or the head of a Gau or of a Reichsgau.-Creation and Early Usage:...
  
   — supreme territorial or regional Nazi party authority(-ies).
• Gebirgsjäger
  Gebirgsjäger
  Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Riflemen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Jäger is the traditional German term for rifleman...
  
   — mountain troops; a mountain "unit", might be described as either Gebirgs or Gebirgsjäger.
• Gebirgstruppe — mountain troops
• gefallen — fallen, killed in action
  Killed in action
  Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
  
  
• Gefecht — combat, action
• Gefechtsgepäck — infantry assault pack
• Gefechtsstand — command post
  Command and Control (military)
  Command and control, or C2, in a military organization can be defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission...
  
  .
• Gefechtsstationen — naval term, "battle stations
  General quarters
  General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....
  
  " or (more literally) "combat stations".
• Gefreiter
  Gefreiter
  Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...
  
   — enlisted rank, senior to privates but not considered an NCO.
• Gegenangriff — counterattack
  Counterattack
  A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...
  
  .
• Gegenoffensive — counter-offensive
  Counter-offensive
  A counter-offensive is the term used by the military to describe large-scale, usually strategic offensive operations by forces that had successfully halted an enemy's offensive, while occupying defensive positions....
  
  .
• geheim — secret.
• Geheime Feldpolizei
  Geheime Feldpolizei
  The ' or GFP, was the secret military police of the German Wehrmacht until the end of Second World War. These units were used to carry out plain-clothed security work in the field such as counter-espionage, counter sabotage, detection of treasonable activities, counter-propaganda and to provide...
  
   (GFP) — Secret Field Police. It was Germany's secret military police that was organised by the German high command (OKW) in July 1939 to serve with the Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
  . It was mainly designed to carry out security work in the field, as the executive agent of the Abwehr
  Abwehr
  The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
  
  .
• Geheimfernschreiber — (literally, "secret distance writer") cipher
  Cipher
  In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
  
   machine.
• Geleit — escort
  Escort
  -Protection:*Police escort, a feature offered by law enforcement agencies to assist in transporting individuals.*Safety escort service, a service provided on and around many college and university campuses to help ensure the safety of students and staff....
  
  .
• Geleitschutz — convoy
  Convoy
  A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
  
  .
• Gemeindepolizei — local police.
• Gemeinschaft — community.
• Generalfeldmarschall
  Generalfeldmarschall
  Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
  
   — Field Marshal
  Field Marshal
  Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
  
  .
• Generalkommando — the headquarters of an army corps.
• Generalstab des Heeres (Gen. St.d. H.) — German Army General Staff
  General Staff
  A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
  
  .
• gepanzert — armoured.
• Geschütz — cannon, gun.
• Geschützführer — gun captain / commander / layer.

• Geschwader — literally "squadron", in World War II Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
   usage, the same as a USAAF
  United States Army Air Forces
  The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
  
   aviation wing of World War II. Equivalent to the French escadre or Italian squadriglia. In English, the translation varies. In naval usage, it has the same meaning as an English squadron
  Squadron (aviation)
  A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
  
  . In German Luftstreitkräfte
  Luftstreitkräfte
  The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
  
  and Luftwaffe usage:
  • World War I
    World War I
    World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
    
     Luftstreitkräfte : A unit of four fighter Staffeln, as in JG I, the famous "Flying Circus", initially led by Manfred von Richthofen
    Manfred von Richthofen
    Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
    
    . Also used for so-named "Kagohl" and "Bogohl" bomber units of a similar size, under direct command of the German Empire's Oberste Heeresleitung
    Oberste Heeresleitung
    The Oberste Heeresleitung or OHL was Germany's highest echelon of command of the German Army in World War I, while the Navy was led by the Seekriegsleitung or SKL ....
    
     Army command office in World War I.
  • World War II
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
    
     Luftwaffe: 1 Geschwader was divided in 3 Gruppen of 3 (or rarely 4) Staffeln each. (Staffel of 9-12 aeroplanes). It was a unit equivalent to a British Commonwealth air force group
    Group (air force unit)
    A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
    
    , a US wing
    Wing (air force unit)
    Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
    
     or a Soviet air regiment.
  • Bundeswehr
    Bundeswehr
    The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
    
     Luftwaffe: 1 Geschwader is divided in a Technical Gruppe (de:Technische Gruppe), a Flying Gruppe (de: Fliegende Gruppe) and 2-3 Squadrons (de:Staffeln). It is a unit equivalent to a British Commonwealth air force wing or a US group.

• Geschwaderkennung — the two-character alphanumeric identification code used by a non-day-fighter Geschwader for unit identification, that appeared to the left of the fuselage Balkenkreuz on most World War II Luftwaffe aircraft.
• Gestapo
  Gestapo
  The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
  
   — Geheime Staatspolizei – Secret State Police. Originally the Prussia secret state police and later (as part of the SiPo then merged into the RSHA) the official secret police force of Nazi Germany. Gestapo was derived as follows: Geheime Staatspolizei.
• Gewehr — rifle, such as the Gewehr 43
  Gewehr 43
  The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 is an 8x57mm IS caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
  
  .
• Gift — poison; giftig: poisonous, toxic.
• Gleichschaltung — "coordination", coordination of everything into Nazi ideals.
• Gliederung — table of organisation
• Goldfasan (Golden pheasant
  Golden Pheasant
  The Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae...
  
  ) — derogatory slang term for high-ranking Nazi Party members. Derived from the brown-and-red uniforms similar to the colors of male pheasant
  Pheasant
  Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
  
  s and the perceived behaviour of high-ranking party officials living in peace and luxury at home.
• Gothic Line
  Gothic Line
  The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...
  
   — German defense line in Italy
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
  , north of Florence
  Florence
  Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
  
  .
• Grabenkrieg — trench warfare
  Trench warfare
  Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
  
  .
• Granate — grenade
  Grenade
  A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
  
  , used not only for hand grenade
  Hand grenade
  A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
  
  s (Handgranate) but also for other explosive ordnance such as mortar (Werfgranate) and armor-piercing (Panzergranate) shells.
• Granatwerfer — mortar
  Mortar (weapon)
  A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
  
  .
• Grenadier — traditional term for heavy infantry
  Heavy infantry
  Heavy infantry refers to heavily armed and armoured ground troops, as opposed to medium or light infantry, in which the warriors are relatively lightly armoured. As modern infantry troops usually define their subgroups differently , 'heavy infantry' almost always is used to describe pre-gunpowder...
  
  , adopted during World War II from mid-war onward as a morale
  Morale
  Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
  
  -building honorific
  Honorific
  An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
  
   often indicative of low-grade formations.
• Grenze — border.
• Grenzschutz — border patrol
  Border guard
  The border guard, frontier guard, border patrol, border police, or frontier police of a country is a national security agency that performs border control, i.e., enforces the security of the country's national borders....
  
  .
• Greuelerzählungen — numerous atrocities.
• Gröfaz — German soldiers' derogatory acronym for Größter Feldherr aller Zeiten, a title initially publicized by Nazi propaganda
  Propaganda
  Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
  
   to refer to Adolf Hitler during the early war years; literally, the "Greatest Field Commander of all Time".
• Grundausbildung (abbr. Grundi) — basic training
• Gruppe — In the army it is the equivalent to a squad
  Squad
  In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
  
  , a Luftwaffe gruppe was equivalent to a US/French group
  Group (air force unit)
  A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
  
   or a British Commonwealth wing
  Wing (air force unit)
  Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
  
  .
• Gruppenführer - squad leader, also a Nazi party rank
  Gruppenführer
  Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
  
  
• Gruppenhorchgerät (GHG) — hydrophone
  Hydrophone
  A hydrophone is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates electricity when subjected to a pressure change...
  
   array.
• Gruppenstab — command staff.
• Gustav Line — German defense line in Italy
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
  , centered on the monastery
  Monastery
  Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
  
   of Monte Cassino
  Monte Cassino
  Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
  
  .
• GvD — Gefreiter
  Gefreiter
  Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...
  
   vom Dienst — soldier who is the runner of CQ
  CQ
  CQ may refer to:Locations:* Central Queensland* Chongqing, China* Northern Mariana Islands: FIPS Pub 10-4 and obsolete NATO digramMedia, Publications* Congressional Quarterly* CQ Amateur Radio* CQ ham radio...
  
  

H

• Hafen — harbor
  Harbor
  A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
  
  . "Flughafen" is airport
  Airport
  An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
  
  .
• Hakenkreuz — (literally, "hooked cross") the version of the swastika
  Swastika
  The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
  
   used by the Nazi Party.
• "Halbe Fahrt!" — Naval command calling for half-speed. "Halbe Fahrt voraus" is "half-speed ahead" and "Halbe Fahrt zurück" is "half-speed reverse".
• Halsschmerzen — "sore throat" or "itchy neck;" used of a reckless or glory-seeking commander, implying an obsession with winning the Knight's Cross
• Halt — Stop! Freeze!
• Handelsmarine — German merchant marine.
• Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag
  Hanomag
  Hanomag was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering a large number of steam locomotives to Romania and Bulgaria before World War I....
  
  ) – producer of military vehicles, principally the SdKfz 251
  SdKfz 251
  The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Hanomag company during World War II. The largest and best armored of the wartime half-tracks, the Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the panzergrenadiers of the German mechanized infantry corps into battle....
  
   medium-armoured halftrack.
• "Hart..." — Naval command calling for a sharp turn. "Hart Backbord" is "hard-a-port" and "Hart Steuerbord" is "hard-a-starboard".
• Härteübung — hardiness training.
• Haubitze — howitzer
  Howitzer
  A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
  
  .
• Hauptamt Sicherheitspolizei (HA-SiPo) — Security Police headquarters.
• Hauptbahnhof - central station
  Central station
  A central station usually designates the principal passenger railway station of cities which have multiple stations. The central station functions as the main transport hub for rail transport, normally with interchange with other modes of public transport...
  
  .
• Hauptfeldwebel - company first major
• Hauptkampflinie (HKL) — literally main combat line, official term for "front" until the end of World War II
• Hauptmann
  Hauptmann
  Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
  
   — army captain.
• Hauptquartiere (HQ) — headquarters
  Headquarters
  Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
  
  .
• Hauptstadt — capital city
  Capital City
  Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
  
  .
• Hauptwachtmeister - company first sergeant in artillery and cavalry units.
• Heckenschützen — terrorist-snipers.
• Heckstand — tail gun
  Tail gunner
  A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally...
  
   defensive position on aircraft.
• Heer
  German Army
  The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
  
   — regular German Army. Can also be used for any national army.
• Heeresgruppenkommando (HGr.Kdo) — Army Group Command.
• Heimat
  Heimat
  Heimat is a German word that has no simple English translation. It is often expressed with terms such as home or homeland, but these English counterparts fail to encapsulate the true meaning of the word.-The meaning of Heimat:...
  
   — home, homeland.
• Heimatkurs — the way home. Literally "homeland course".
• Heimatschuß — "homeland shot"; a wound not severe enough to be permanently disabling, but of sufficient severity to require evacuation from the battlefront. The German soldier's equivalent of the American G.I.'s "million-dollar wound
  Million-Dollar Wound
  A million-dollar wound is military slang referring to a type of wound received in combat which is serious enough to get the person sent away from the fighting, but is not fatal, nor will it leave the person permanently crippled...
  
  " or the British soldier's "Blighty wound."
• Heldenklau — "stealing" or "snatching of heroes"; slang term used to denote the practice of commandeering rear-echelon personnel for front-line service.
• Henschel — firm responsible for many German World War II weapons systems for both the Wehrmacht Heer and the Luftwaffe, especially the heavy Tiger I
  Tiger I
  Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
  
   and Tiger II
  Tiger II
  Tiger II is the common name of a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B,Panzerkampfwagen – abbr: Pz. or Pz.Kfw. Ausführung – abbr: Ausf. .The full titles Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf...
  
   tanks and the Henschel Hs 293
  Henschel Hs 293
  The Henschel Hs 293 was a World War II German anti-ship guided missile: a radio-controlled glide bomb with a rocket engine slung underneath it. It was designed by Herbert A. Wagner.- History :...
  
   guided anti-ship missile.
• "Herr..." — In past and modern German military protocol, "Herr" ("mister") is said before ranks when someone is addressing a person of higher rank. For example, a lieutenant ("Leutnant") would address his captain as "Herr Hauptmann" ("Mr. Captain"). Superior officer address subordinates with "Herr" and their last name or simply their rank, but not adding "Herr" to the rank.
• Hetzer — agitators, also the unofficial name of a certain late-war model of German tank destroyer
  Hetzer
  The Jagdpanzer 38 , later known as Hetzer , was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38 chassis. The project was inspired by the Romanian "Mareşal" tank destroyer.The name Hetzer was at the time not commonly used for this vehicle...
  
  .
• Hilfswillige
  Hiwi (volunteer)
  Hiwi is a German abbreviation. It has two meanings, "voluntary assistant" and "assistant scientist" .- :...
  
   (Hiwis) — German Army volunteer forces usually made up of Soviet volunteers serving in non-combat capacities.
• Himmelfahrtskommando — literally, "trip to heaven mission", a suicide mission.
• Hinterhalt — ambush.
• Hitler-Jugend (HJ) — Hitler Youth
  Hitler Youth
  The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
  
  . The German youth organization founded by the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Made up of the Hitlerjugend proper, for male youth ages 14–18; the younger boys' section "Deutsches Jungvolk" for ages 10–14; and the girls' section "Bund Deutscher Mädel" (BDM).
• Hitlersäge — "Hitler saw", nickname of the MG42
  MG42
  The MG 42 is a 7.9mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942...
  
   machine gun
• HJ-Fahrtenmesser — common dagger
  Dagger
  A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
  
   specially designed for the Hitler Jugend
  Hitler Youth
  The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
  
  
• Höckerhindernisse — anti-tank obstacles often referred to as "Dragon's Teeth
  Dragon's teeth (fortification)
  Dragon's teeth are square-pyramidal fortifications of reinforced concrete first used during the Second World War to impede the movement of tanks and mechanised infantry...
  
  ".
• Hoheitsabzeichen — national insignia e.g. on a tank or aircraft.
• Hohentwiel — FuG 200 UHF-band (500 MHz) maritime patrol airborne radar gear.
• Hubschrauber — helicopter
  Helicopter
  A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
  
  .
• Hufbeschlagschmied, farrier
  Farrier
  A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
  
  .
• Hummel
  Hummel (artillery)
  The Hummel was a self-propelled artillery gun based on the Geschützwagen III/IV chassis, armed with a 15 cm howitzer. It was used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War from late 1942 until the end of the war....
  
   — "bumble-bee"; nickname for a piece of mobile artillery
  Self-propelled artillery
  Self-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...
  
  .
• Hundehütte — literally, "dog house", punishment hut.

I

• Indianer — Indians. Luftwaffe slang for an enemy fighter (from the game of cowboys and Indians.)
• Infanterie — infantry
  Infantry
  Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
  
  .
• Iststärke — actual strength (compared to Soll-Stärke)
• Iwan — German slang for a Soviet soldier (similar to "Jerry" or "Kraut", the British and American slang terms for Germans).

J

• Jabo (Jagdbomber) — fighter-bomber
  Ground attack aircraft
  Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft with primary role of attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than bombers and prepared to face stronger low-level air defense...
  
  .
• Jagdgeschwader (JG) — single-engine fighter
  Fighter aircraft
  A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
  
   wing
  Wing (air force unit)
  Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
  
  /group
  Group (air force unit)
  A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
  
  , literally hunting squadron.
• Jagdpanzer
  Jagdpanzer
  Jagdpanzer , German for "hunting tank", is a name given to German self-propelled anti-tank guns.It typically refers to anti-tank variants of existing tank chassis with a well-armoured casemate fixed superstructure, mounting an anti-tank gun with limited traverse in the front, and usually classed by...
  
   — "hunting tank"; armoured casemate
  Casemate
  A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
  
  -style self-propelled tank destroyer
  Tank destroyer
  A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
  
  .
• Jagd-Kommando — "hunting commando"; generally refers to a commando
  Commando
  In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
  
   outfit that remained behind enemy lines when an area was overrun and would carry out sabotage
  Sabotage
  Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
  
   and other guerrilla actions
  Guerrilla warfare
  Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
  
  . These units did not generally operate as such and were later taken over by the SS and used as frontline combat troops in 1944-1945.
• Jäger
  Jäger (military)
  Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
  
   — [1] light infantry
  Light infantry
  Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
  
  ; used alone or as part of a specialty such as Gebirgsjäger
  Gebirgsjäger
  Gebirgsjäger, in English Mountain Riflemen, is the German designation for mountain infantry. The word Jäger is the traditional German term for rifleman...
  
  or Fallschirmjäger
  Fallschirmjäger
  are German paratroopers. Together with the Gebirgsjäger they are perceived as the elite infantry units of the German Army....
  
  . [2] Fighter Airplane. The root Jagd- is also used in its literal meaning of "hunter" for weapon systems such Jagdtiger
  Jagdtiger
  Jagdtiger is the common name of a German tank destroyer of World War II. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd. Kfz. 186. It saw service in small numbers from late 1944 to the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front...
  
  .
• jawohl — simply the word "yes" with the emphatic "wohl", which one might translate as "Yes, indeed!", "Aye, aye, sir!" or "Absolutely yes!" Widely used in World War II.
• Junkerschule — SS officer academy.

K

• Kadavergehorsam — "absolute duty and blind obedience till death."; lit.: "carcass obedience"
• Kameradschaft — small military unit, or phrase for "comrade support amongst soldiers" (see Volkgemeinschaft).
• Kampf — struggle, fight or conflict.
• Kampfflotte — battle fleet.
• Kampfgeist — fighting spirit.
• Kampfgeschwader (KG) — bomber
  Bomber
  A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
  
   wing
  Wing (air force unit)
  Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
  
   (USAAF practice)/group
  Group (air force unit)
  A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
  
   (RAF practice)
• Kampfgruppe
  Kampfgruppe
  In military history and military slang, the German term Kampfgruppe can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the German Wehrmacht and its allies during World War II and, to a lesser extent, in World War I...
  
  —1. an Army battlegroup
  Battlegroup (army)
  A battlegroup , or task force in modern military theory, is the basic building block of an army's fighting force. A battlegroup is formed around an infantry battalion or armoured regiment, which is usually commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel...
  
   or task force; formal designation of an ad hoc task force, or informal description of a combat unit at greatly reduced strength. 2. In the Luftwaffe, a bomber unit equivalent to a US/French group
  Group (air force unit)
  A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
  
   or a British Commonwealth wing
  Wing (air force unit)
  Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
  
  .
• Kampfmesser — combat knife.
• Kampfplan — battle plan.
• Kampfschwimmer — frogman
  Frogman
  A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
  
  .
• Kampfzone — battle zone.
• Kampfwunde — battle injury.
• Kanone — gun (as opposed to a howitzer).
• Kanonier — gunner
• Kapitän — Naval rank of Captain
  Captain (naval)
  Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
  
  ; in full Kapitän zur See (KzS or Kpt.z.S.) ;literally, Sea Captain. Commanded any capital ship.
• Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) — Naval rank of Lieutenant Commander
  Lieutenant Commander
  Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
  
   or (literally) Captain Lieutenant
  Captain Lieutenant
  Captain lieutenant or captain-lieutenant is a military rank, used in a number of different navies worldwide.It is generally equivalent to the Commonwealth or US rank of lieutenant, and has the NATO rank code of OF-2, though this can vary....
  
  . Officers of this rank generally command small vessels such as U-boat
  U-boat
  U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
  
  s and minesweepers. The rank is often shortened to "Kaleun", with junior officers addressing people of this rank as "Herr Kaleun".
• Kapitulation — surrender
  Surrender (military)
  Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
  
  .
• Kapo — overseer, NCO (sl). Esp. a prisoner who acted as an overseer of his fellow inmates in the Nazi concentration camps
  Nazi concentration camps
  Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
  
   (see Konzentrationslager).
• Kartenstelle — mapping detachment, normally part of staff company of a division or higher
• Kaserne — barracks
  Barracks
  Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
  
  .
• Kavallerie — cavalry
  Cavalry
  Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
  
  .
• Kessel(schlacht) — cauldron
• Kette — chain, in the air force a sub-unit of 3—6 aircraft
• Ketten — chains, chain-drive, tracks (e.g. Panzerketten)
• Kettenantrieb — track
  Caterpillar track
  Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
  
  , such as a tank track; tracked vehicle.
• Kettenhund — "chained dog", slang for a Military Police
  Feldgendarmerie
  The Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
  
  man (derived from the metal gorget
  Gorget
  A gorget originally was a steel or leather collar designed to protect the throat. It was a feature of older types of armour and intended to protect against swords and other non-projectile weapons...
  
   worn on a chain around the neck).
• Kettenkraftrad — a tracked motorcycle; also Kettenkrad
  SdKfz 2
  The SdKfz 2, better known as the Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101 or Kettenkrad for short , started its life as a light tractor for airborne troops. The vehicle was designed to be delivered by Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, though not by parachute...
  
  .
• Kindersärge — "children's coffins", slang term applied to small, wooden antipersonnel box-mines
  Land mine
  A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
  
  .
• KLA: Kriegsschiffbaulehrabteilung — was a warship-construction training division which supervised a Baubelehrung.
• Kleinkampfverband (K-Verband) — special naval operations unit, comprising a few frogmen
  Frogman
  A frogman is someone who is trained to scuba diving or swim underwater in a military capacity which can include combat. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver or combatant diver or combat swimmer....
  
  .
• Kleinkrieg — guerrilla war
  Guerrilla warfare
  Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
  
  .
• Knickebein — "crooked leg", also "bent leg" (in the sense of "dogleg"); German navigational system using radio beams to guide bombers.
• Knochensammlung — gathering the bones of dead soldiers.
• Kochgeschirr - mess tin
• Kolonne — column, also supply units (e.g. leichte Infanterie-Kolonne)
• Kommandanten-Schießlehrgang — U-boat Commander's Torpedo Course.
• Kommando — command; detachment; detail.
• Kommissarbefehl — the notorious 6 June 1941 "Commissar Order
  Commissar Order
  The Commissar Order was a written order given by Adolf Hitler on 6 June 1941, prior to Operation Barbarossa. Its official name was Guidelines for the Treatment of Political Commissars...
  
  " to kill all political commissar
  Political commissar
  The political commissar is the supervisory political officer responsible for the political education and organisation, and loyalty to the government of the military...
  
  s in the Red Army
  Red Army
  The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
  
   and civil government.
• Kompanie — company
  Company (military unit)
  A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
  
  , unit.
  • Kompaniechef — company commander
  • Kompaniefeldwebel — company first sergeant
  • Kompanieführer — substitute company commander in case of absence or if the ‘Kompaniechef ’ is only an honorary function (similar to a Colonel-in-Chief
    Colonel-in-Chief
    In the various Commonwealth armies, the Colonel-in-Chief of a regiment is its patron. This position is distinct from that of Colonel of the Regiment. They do not have an operational role. They are however kept informed of all important activities of the regiment, and pay occasional visits to its...
    
    )
  • Kompanietruppführer — Company headquarters section leader
• Konteradmiral — Naval rank of Rear Admiral
  Rear Admiral
  Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
  
  .
• Konzentrationslager (KZL) — concentration camp
  Internment
  Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
  
  .
• Korvettenkapitän (K.Kpt) — Naval rank of (literally) "Corvette Captain". The grade senior to Kapitänleutnant; frequently translated as either Lieutenant Commander
  Lieutenant Commander
  Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
  
   or Commander
  Commander
  Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
  
  . Typically commanded a destroyer
  Destroyer
  In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
  
  .
• Krad (Kraft-Radfahrzeug) — motorcycle
  Motorcycle
  A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
  
   (dated).
• Krad-Melder — motorcycle dispatch rider
• Kradschütze(n) — motorcycle unit or soldier.
• Kraft — strength.
• Kraftei - literally "power-egg", used both for the unitized aviation engine installation system that combined all major engine ancillary components (radiator, oil cooler, etc.) with the engine itself, into a single interchangeable unit for ease of field maintenance and rapid replacement, or as a slang term for the short-fuselaged Messerschmitt Me 163
  Messerschmitt Me 163
  The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...
  
   Komet rocket fighter.
• Krankenstation — sick bay
  Sick bay
  A sick bay is a compartment in a ship used for medical purposes — the ship's hospital.The sick bay will contain the ship's medicine chest which may be divided into separate cabinets such as a refrigerator for medicines which require cold storage and a locked cabinet for controlled substances...
  
   of a ship.
• Krankenträger — stretcher bearer
• Kraut — for sauerkraut
  Sauerkraut
  Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
  
  ; slang term used by Americans to refer to Germans.
• Krieg or Krieg(s)- — "war" or "wartime-".
• Kriegserlebnis — (myth of the) war experience.
• Kriegsfischkutter (KFK) — patrol vessels constructed to a fishing-vessel design; (see Vorpostenboote).
• Kriegsflagge — "war ensign"; military form of the national flag, quartered by a black cross with an Iron Cross in the canton.
• Kriegsgefangener — prisoner of war
  Prisoner of war
  A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
  
  .
• Kriegsgericht — court-martial
  Court-martial
  A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
  
  ; slang for a war dish or poor meal. Also "Militärgericht".
• Kriegsmarine
  Kriegsmarine
  The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
  
   — German Navy, 1935-1945.
• Kriegsneurose — battle fatigue
  Combat stress reaction
  Combat stress reaction , in the past commonly known as shell shock or battle fatigue, is a range of behaviours resulting from the stress of battle which decrease the combatant's fighting efficiency. The most common symptoms are fatigue, slower reaction times, indecision, disconnection from one's...
  
  . Mod. post traumatic stress disorder.
• Kriegstagebuch — war diary.
• Kriminalpolizei
  Kriminalpolizei
  is the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. In Nazi Germany during 1936, the Kripo became the Criminal Police Department for the entire Reich...
  
   (Kripo) — "Criminal Police" — In Nazi Germany, it became the national Criminal (investigative) Police Department for the entire Reich in July 1936. It was merged, along with the Gestapo
  Gestapo
  The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
  
  , into the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo). Later, in 1939, it was folded into the RSHA.
• Krupp
  Krupp
  The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
  
   (Kp) — famous German steel producer, manufactured most of the tanks, howitzers and heavy mortars, as well as armour plates for battleships (most famously the Bismarck).
• Krupp-Daimler (KD) — See Krupp.
• Kübel — literally, "bucket" or "tub", short for Kübelwagen, open-topped military utility cars.
• Kugel — "bullet" (also "ball").
• Kugelfest — bullet-proof.
• Kugelblitz — literally "ball lightning
  Ball lightning
  Ball lightning is an unexplained atmospheric electrical phenomenon. The term refers to reports of luminous, usually spherical objects which vary from pea-sized to several metres in diameter. It is usually associated with thunderstorms, but lasts considerably longer than the split-second flash of a...
  
  ", fireball.
• KwK — abbreviation for "Kampfwagenkanone", the turret-mounted main (cannon) armament of a main battle tank.

L

• Ladeschütze — loader
• Lager — camp
  Military camp
  A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
  
  .
• Landekopf — beachhead
  Beachhead
  Beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. It is sometimes used interchangeably with Bridgehead and Lodgement...
  
  .
• Lafette - literally "gun mount", used for many differing artillery carriages and for manned and remotely controlled gun turret
  Gun turret
  A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
  
   installations on German military vehicles, especially on aircraft.
• Landratsamt — civil administration office.
• Landsturm
  Landsturm
  German-speaking countries used the word Landsturm to refer to third-class infantry or militias.- 1813 :King Frederick William III of Prussia established the Prussian Landsturm as irregular military forces on 21 April 1813 by royal edict – the decree appeared in the preussische Gesetzesammlung...
  
   — historically, infantry of non-professional soldiers; a kind of militia
  Militia
  The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
  
  .
• Landser — historical term for a German infantry
  Infantry
  Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
  
  man; slang: "Schütze Arsch".
• Landwehr
  Landwehr
  Landwehr, or Landeswehr, is a German language term used in referring to certain national armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large scale, low strength fortifications...
  
   — Territorial Army, a type of militia
  Militia
  The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
  
  .
• Landsturm
  Landsturm
  German-speaking countries used the word Landsturm to refer to third-class infantry or militias.- 1813 :King Frederick William III of Prussia established the Prussian Landsturm as irregular military forces on 21 April 1813 by royal edict – the decree appeared in the preussische Gesetzesammlung...
  
   — fourth levy
• Lastensegler — cargo glider
• Latrinenparole — "latrine talk", rumor.
• laufende Nummer — serial number.
• Lebensraum
  Lebensraum
  was one of the major political ideas of Adolf Hitler, and an important component of Nazi ideology. It served as the motivation for the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, aiming to provide extra space for the growth of the German population, for a Greater Germany...
  
   — "living space", or in Hitler-speak the minimum space the German people needed to live in.
• Lehr — "demonstration"; usually part of the name of an elite formation used as or mobilized from instructional troops (e.g., Panzer-Lehr-Division).
• leicht — "light", usually to refer a lighter type, such as light tank: leichter Panzer. Several classes of divisions were also classified as "light".
• Leopard - the name originally used for the Porsche-produced VK 3601(P) prototype tank hull design, and later used by the Federal German Republic
  Germany
  Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
  
   for the Leopard 1 and Leopard 2
  Leopard 2
  The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1970s for the West German Army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the German Army. Various versions have served in the armed forces of Germany and twelve...
  
   Bundeswehr
  Bundeswehr
  The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
  
   main battle tanks in service from the 1960s into the 21st century.
• Leuchtpistole — flare pistol
• Leuchtgeschoss/-granate — star shell
• Leutnant — Army rank, equivalent to Second Lieutenant
  Second Lieutenant
  Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
  
  
• Leutnant zur See — Naval rank, equivalent to Lieutenant, junior grade
  Lieutenant, Junior Grade
  Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
  
  
• Lichtenstein
  Lichtenstein radar
  Lichtenstein radar was a German airborne radar in use during World War II. It was available in at least four major revisions, the FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C, FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1, FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 and FuG 228 Lichtenstein SN-3.- FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C :Early FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C...
  
   — German airborne radar
  Radar
  Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
  
   used for nightfighting
  Night fighter
  A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
  
  , in early UHF-band BC and C-1 versions, and later VHF-band SN-2 and SN-3 versions.
• Lorenz Schlüsselzusatz — German cipher
  Cipher
  In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
  
   machine.
• Lorenz (navigation) — pre-war blind-landing aid used at many airports. Most German bombers had the radio equipment needed to use it.
• "Los!" — "Go!" or "Away!" Also the U-boat command to fire a torpedo ("Fire!")
• Luchs — "lynx"; nickname given to the Model L version of the Panzer II.
• Leuchtkugel — signal flare
  Flare (pyrotechnic)
  A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...
  
  .
• Luftangriff — air attack, air raid.
• Luftflotte - lit. air fleet. Largest sub-units within the Luftwaffe.
• Luftschutz — air raid protection
• Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
   — "air force"; the German Air Force.
• Luftwaffenhelfer
  Luftwaffenhelfer
  Luftwaffenhelfer are terms commonly used for German students deployed as child soldiers during World War II....
  
   — "Luftwaffe assistant"; see FlaK-Helfer.
• Luftschutzpolizei — air raid wardens.

M

• Mannschaften — enlisted
  Enlisted rank
  An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...
  
   personnel
• Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (M.A.N.) — Augsburg-Nuremberg Machine Factory; a German engineering works and truck manufacturer. Now called MAN AG, and primary builder of the Panther tank
  Panther tank
  Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
  
  .
• Maschinenfabrik Niedersachsen Hannover (MNH) — weapon (tank) development and production firm.
• Maschinengewehr (MG) — machine gun
  Machine gun
  A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
  
  , as in the MG42
  MG42
  The MG 42 is a 7.9mm universal machine gun that was developed in Nazi Germany and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1942...
  
  .
• Maschinengewehrschütze — machine gunner
• Maschinenkanone (MK) - an autocannon
  Autocannon
  An autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
  
   used for aircraft armament, as with the MK 108
  MK 108 cannon
  The MK 108 was a 30 mm caliber autocannon manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use in aircraft.-Development:...
  
   30mm calibre weapon.
• Maschinenpistole (MP) — submachine gun
  Submachine gun
  A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
  
  , as in the MP40
  MP40
  The MP 38 and MP 40 , often called Schmeisser, were submachine guns developed in Nazi Germany and used extensively by paratroopers, tank crews, platoon and squad leaders, and other troops during World War II.-Development:The MP 40 descended from its predecessor, the MP 38, which was in turn based...
  
  .
• Maschine — "machine". Commonly used as airplane
  Fixed-wing aircraft
  A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
  
   or engine
  Engine
  An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
  
  .
• Maultier — SdKfz 4
  SdKfz 4
  The SdKfz 4 Gleisketten-Lastkraftwagen , nicknamed Maultier was a family of half-tracks developed during World War II by Germany.-Development:...
  
   half-track truck, German for mule
  Mule
  A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
  
  
• Maus
  Panzer VIII Maus
  Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus was a German World War II super-heavy tank completed in late 1944. It is the heaviest fully enclosed armoured fighting vehicle ever built. Only two hulls and one turret were completed before the testing grounds were captured by the advancing Soviet forces.These two...
  
   — "mouse"; nickname for a large, Porsche-designed super-heavy tank, the heaviest tank ever actually built and tested, that never passed beyond prototype stage.
• Maybach
  Maybach
  Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
  
   (M) — a German automotive and engineering company.
• Melder — runner
• Meldereiter - horse despatch rider
  Despatch rider
  A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...
  
  
• Metox
  Metox
  The Metox, named after its manufacturer, was a pioneering high frequency very sensitive radar warning receiver manufactured by a small French company in occupied Paris, which could detect ASV transmissions from patrolling Allied aircraft. It is not clear whether the design was German or French or...
  
   — radar warning receiver
  Radar warning receiver
  Radar warning receiver systems detect the radio emissions of radar systems. Their primary purpose is to issue a warning when a radar signal that might be a threat is detected. The warning can then be used, manually or automatically, to evade the detected threat...
  
   (named for manufacturer) fitted to U-boats; superseded by Naxos-U
  Naxos radar detector
  The FuG 350 Naxos radar warning receiver was a World War II German countermeasure to SHF band centimetric wavelength radar produced by a cavity magnetron...
  
  
• Milchkuh — "milk cow", nickname for the Type XIV resupply U-boat
  German Type XIV submarine
  The Type XIV U-boat was a modification of the Type IXD, designed to resupply other U-boats. They were nicknamed "Milchkuh/Milchkühe " . They had no torpedo tubes or deck guns, only anti-aircraft guns. Due to its large size, the Type XIV could resupply other boats with 400 tons of fuel, four...
  
  .
• Militär — military
  Military
  A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
  
  .
• Militärnachrichtendienst — military intelligence
  Military intelligence
  Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
  
  .
• Mine (pl. Minen) — an anti-personnel, tank
  Land mine
  A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
  
   or ship mine
  Naval mine
  A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
  
  .
• Mineneigenschutz (MES) — ship's degaussing cable
  Degaussing
  Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, an early researcher in the field of magnetism...
  
  ; literally "mine self-protection".
• Minensuchboote (M-boats) — large minesweepers
  Minesweeper (ship)
  A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
  
  .
• Mißliebige — undesirables.
• Mitarbeiter — assistant clerk
• Motorkanone — engine-mounted autocannon armament firing through a hollow propeller shaft on fighter aircraft.
• MP(i) — sub-machine gun
• Mörser — mortar
• Munitionskanonier — ammunition handler
• Munitionsschlepper — ammunition carrier.
• Munitionsschütze — ammunition handler
• Mütze — cap or small hat, such as the M43 field cap
  M43 field cap
  The M43 field cap or "Einheitsmütze" was a cap used by the German Wehrmacht and SS, during World War II. The design of the fieldcap was based on the German Gebirgsjäger's ski cap, the only differences being the bill was slightly extended and the top panel of the hat had a smaller circumference,...
  
  , also known as the Einheitsfeldmütze.

N

• Nachricht(en) — signals
  Military communications
  Historically, the first military communications had the form of sending/receiving simple signals . Respectively, the first distinctive tactics of military communications were called Signals, while units specializing in those tactics received the Signal Corps name...
  
   / news / communication, also intelligence.
• Nachrichtendienst — intelligence
• Nachrichtenoffizier — signals officer
• Nachrichtentruppen — Signal Corps
  Signal Corps
  The Signal Corps is a military branch, usually subordinate to a country's army, responsible for the military communications .Many countries have a Signal Corps, whose main function is usually communication .* Arma de Comunicaciones, signals branch of the Argentine Army* Arma delle...
  
  .
• Nachschub — supply
• Nachschubtruppen — supply troops
  Supply Corps
  A Supply Corps is a branch of a country's military which is in charge of logistics and supply procurement to the armed forces. The term is also used by private corporations but on a much rarer basis....
  
  .
• Nacht und Nebel
  Nacht und Nebel
  Nacht und Nebel was a directive of Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 signed and implemented by Armed Forces High Command Chief Wilhelm Keitel, resulting in the kidnapping and forced disappearance of many political activists and resistance 'helpers' throughout Nazi Germany's occupied...
  
   — "night and fog"; code for some prisoners that were to be disposed of, leaving no traces; bei Nacht und Nebel (idiom) — secretly and surprisingly, at dead of night.
• Nachtjagdgeschwader (NJG) — night-fighter wing
  Wing (air force unit)
  Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
  
  /group
  Group (air force unit)
  A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
  
  .
• Nahkampfmesser — close-combat fighting knife.
• Nahverteidigungswaffe
  Nahverteidigungswaffe
  The Nahverteidigungswaffe was a smoke candle discharger for German panzers which could also be used as a close defense weapon to combat close assaulting infantry. It was a 92mm rotating launcher for smoke candles, mounted in the roof of the turret or superstructure, which also allowed the occupants...
  
   — "close defense weapon"; an attachment to Panzer
  Panzer
  A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
  
  s to combat close-assaulting infantry
  Infantry
  Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
  
  .
• Nashorn
  Nashorn
  Nashorn , initially known as Hornisse , was a German tank destroyer of World War II. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 and was armed with the outstanding Pak 43 anti-tank gun...
  
   — "rhinoceros", nickname for a type of tank destroyer
  Tank destroyer
  A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
  
  .
• Nationalsozialistische Führungsoffiziere (NSFO) — National Socialist Leadership Officers.
• Naxos radar detector
  Naxos radar detector
  The FuG 350 Naxos radar warning receiver was a World War II German countermeasure to SHF band centimetric wavelength radar produced by a cavity magnetron...
  
   — "Naxos Z" was developed for night fighter
  Night fighter
  A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
  
  s, "Naxos U", was provided to U-boat
  U-boat
  U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
  
  s, to locate Allied H2S
  H2S radar
  H2S was the first airborne, ground scanning radar system. It was developed in Britain in World War II for the Royal Air Force and was used in various RAF bomber aircraft from 1943 to the 1990s. It was designed to identify targets on the ground for night and all-weather bombing...
  
   microwave-band radar transmissions.
• Nebelwerfer
  Nebelwerfer
  The Nebelwerfer was a World War II German series of weapons originally designed to deliver chemical weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's so-called Chemical Troops ...
  
   (Nb. W) — "fog thrower"; rocket artillery
  Rocket artillery
  Rocket artillery is a type of artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars.Types of rocket artillery pieces include multiple rocket launchers.-History:...
  
  , multi-barrel rocket launchers that could be used for smoke or high-explosive projectiles.
• Niederlage — defeat.
• Norden — north.
• Notsignal — distress signal
  Distress signal
  A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually detected item or illumination, or making an audible sound, from a distance....
  
  .
• NSKK
  National Socialist Motor Corps
  The National Socialist Motor Corps , also known as the National Socialist Drivers Corps, was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1931 to 1945. The group was a successor organization to the older National Socialist Automobile Corps, which had existed since the beginning...
  
   — the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrerkorps, or National Socialist Motor Corps.
• Nummer (Nr.) — "number"; used to describe some divisional organizations with a unit number but no combat assets, often converted to ordinary divisions later on. (E.g., Division Nr. 157.)

O

• Ober-* — higher; part of several military ranks and titles like Oberleutnant and "Oberkommando".
• Oberst
  Oberst
  Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
  
   — German equivalent of a Colonel
  Colonel
  Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
  
  .
• Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres (Ob.d.H.) — Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
• Oberkommando des Heeres
  Oberkommando des Heeres
  The Oberkommando des Heeres was Nazi Germany's High Command of the Army from 1936 to 1945. The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht commanded OKH only in theory...
  
   (OKH) — "High Command of the Army" and Army General Staff from 1936 to 1945.
• Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine (OKM) — "High Command of the (War) Navy".
• Oberkommando der Luftwaffe
  Oberkommando der Luftwaffe
  The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe was the air force High Command of the Third Reich.Air Force Commanders-in-Chief* Reich Marshal Hermann Göring * Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim -History:...
  
   (OKL) — "High Command of the Air Force".
• Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
  Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
  The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
  
   (OKW) — "High Command of the Armed Forces". The OKW replaced the War Ministry and was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
• Offizier im Generalstab — General Staff officer
• Offizier-Lager (Oflag) — "officer camp"; German prisoner-of-war
  Prisoner of war
  A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
  
   camp for Allied officers.
• Ordnungspolizei
  Ordnungspolizei
  The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
  
   (Orpo) — "order police" - the regular uniformed police after their nationalization in 1936.
• Ordonnanzoffizier — aide-de-camp
  Aide-de-camp
  An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
  
  
• Ortskampf — combat in towns, urban warfare
  Urban warfare
  Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
  
  .
• Osten — east.
• Ostfront — eastern front (Russian Front)
• Ostjuden — eastern Jews in Poland
  Poland
  Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
  
  .
• Ostmark — lit. Eastern Border, post-Anschluss
  Anschluss
  The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
  
  Austria
  Austria
  Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
  
  .
• Ostpreußen — province of East Prussia
  East Prussia
  East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
  
  .

P

• Panjewagen — one-horse carriage.
• Panzer
  Panzer
  A Panzer is a German language word that, when used as a noun, means "tank". When it is used as an adjective, it means either tank or "armoured" .- Etymology :...
  
   — "armour"; German word is derived from Old French
  Old French
  Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
  
   pancier, meaning "armour for the belly". It can refer to a tank (see Panzerkampfwagen below) or to an armoured formation. (Panzer Division is literally "Tank Division"; the adjective for "armoured" is gepanzert.)
• Panzerabwehrkanone (PaK) — anti-tank gun; literally, "tank defence cannon", also used for the main armament for a typical casemate
  Casemate
  A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
  
   style turretless German tank destroyer
  Tank destroyer
  A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
  
  .
• Panzerbefehlswagen (Pz. Bef.Wg) — the commanding tank of any panzer detachment; also used of purpose-built command tanks with extra radio gear.
• Panzerbüchse — anti-tank rifle
• Panzerbüchsenschütze — anti-tank rifleman
• Panzerfaust
  Panzerfaust
  The Panzerfaust was an inexpensive, recoilless German anti-tank weapon of World War II. It consisted of a small, disposable preloaded launch tube firing a high explosive anti-tank warhead, operated by a single soldier...
  
   — literally "armour fist"; a light disposable infantry anti-tank weapon, a small recoilless gun firing a fin-stabilized shaped charge
  Shaped charge
  A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
  
   grenade, and a forerunner of the Soviet RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) although the Panzerfaust was not rocket-propelled.
• Panzerführer — tank commander
• Panzerkommandant — tank commander
• Panzerschreck
  Panzerschreck
  Panzerschreck was the popular name for the Raketenpanzerbüchse , an 88 mm calibre reusable anti-tank rocket launcher developed by Nazi Germany in World War II. Another popular nickname was Ofenrohr ....
  
   — literally "armour terror," officially Raketenpanzerbüchse "rocket armour rifle;" a heavy re-usable infantry anti-tank weapon firing a rocket-propelled 88mm shaped charge
  Shaped charge
  A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Various types are used to cut and form metal, to initiate nuclear weapons, to penetrate armor, and in the oil and gas industry...
  
   grenade. Also called Ofenrohr ("stovepipe") for its appearance.
• Panzergrenadier
  Panzergrenadier
  is a German term for motorised or mechanized infantry, as introduced during World War II. It is used in the armies of Austria, Chile, Germany and Switzerland.-Forerunners:...
  
   — mechanized infantry
  Mechanized infantry
  Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
  
  ; a soldier belonging to a mechanized infantry unit.
• Panzerjäger
  Panzerjäger
  Panzerjäger was a branch of service of the Wehrmacht during the Second World War which were the anti-tank arm-of-service who operated anti-tank artillery, and made exclusive use of the tank destroyers which were also named Panzerjäger...
  
   — "tank hunter(s)", anti-tank troops; also used by extension for their self-propelled tank destroyers (e.g., the Elefant
  Elefant
  The Elefant was a "schwerer Panzerjäger" of the German Wehrmacht used in small numbers in World War II. It was built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1944, after modification of the existing vehicles, they were renamed Elefant...
  
  ) until superseded by the Jagdpanzer ("hunting tank") term.
• Panzerkampfwagen (Pzkpfw.) — "armoured fighting vehicle
  Armoured fighting vehicle
  An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
  
  "; usually a reference to a type of tank with a 360º fully rotating turret for the main armament.
• Panzerschiffe — "armoured ships"; i.e., "pocket battleships
  Deutschland class cruiser
  The Deutschland class was a series of three panzerschiffe , a form of heavily armed cruiser, built by the Reichsmarine officially in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles...
  
  ".
• Panzertruppen — tank forces.
• Papier — paper
  Paper
  Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
  
  . Often used as paper of identification
  Identity document
  An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
  
  .
• Papierkrieg — paper war. Expression describing the struggle to keep up with reports and record keeping
• Partei — political party
  Political party
  A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
  
  .
• Pionier (pl. Pioniere) — combat engineer
  Combat engineering
  A combat engineer, also called pioneer or sapper in many armies, is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions...
  
  .
• Planoffizier — Triangulation officer
• Porsche
  Porsche
  Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
  
   (P) — company that designed and produced tanks and other military vehicles. They now produce cars.
• Putsch — coup d'état
  Coup d'état
  A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
  
  ; the sudden overthrow of a government by a small group, usually the military.
• Pyrrhussieg — Pyrrhic victory
  Pyrrhic victory
  A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
  
  .

Q

• Quartiermeister — quartermaster
• Quist — one of several manufacturers of German helmet
  Helmet
  A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
  
  s both during and after World War II.

R

• Radikale Niederwerfung — ruthless suppression.
• Räumboot — small minesweeper
• Rasputitsa — slang for watery, mud-filled trenches or landscape in Russia.
• Räumboote
  R boat
  The R boats were a group of small minesweepers but used for several purposes during the Second World War.A total of 424 boats were built for the Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
  
   (R-boot) — small motor minesweepers
  Minesweeper (ship)
  A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
  
  .
• Regierung — government
  Government
  Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
  
  .
• Regimentsadjutant - regiment adjutant
• Regimentsarzt — Regimental Medical Officer
• Regimentschef — colonel of the regiment
• Regimentsführer - substitute for the colonel of the regiment
• Regimentskommandeur - commander of the regiment
• Regimentsveterinär — regimental veterinarian
• Reich
  Reich
  Reich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
  
   — realm, empire.
• Reichsarbeitsdienst
  Reichsarbeitsdienst
  The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
  
   (RAD) — compulsory labor service in Nazi Germany.
• Reichsbahn
  Deutsche Reichsbahn
  Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
  
   — railway system.
• Reichsführer-SS
  Reichsführer-SS
  was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
  
   — Reich Leader of the SS, an office held by Heinrich Himmler
  Heinrich Himmler
  Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
  
  .
• Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) — "Reich Main Security Office or Reich Security Head Office"; created by Himmler in September 1939 to combine all German security and plainclothes police departments, including the Gestapo
  Gestapo
  The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
  
  , Kripo and SD
  Sicherheitsdienst
  Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
  
   (Sicherheitsdienst der SS) into one umbrella organization with seven departments.
• Reichswehr
  Reichswehr
  The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
  
   — name for the German Armed Forces under the Weimar Republic
  Weimar Republic
  The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
  
  , from 1919 to 1935.
• Reiter — cavalryman. See also Ritter.
• Rekrut — coll. rookie, recruit, member of the military in the basic training
• Rettungsboot — lifeboat
  Lifeboat (shipboard)
  A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
  
  .
• Richtkreisunteroffizier — Gun Director (NCO)
• Richtschütze — aiming gunner.
• Ritter — knight, cavalier.
• Ritterkreuz — "knight's cross", usual abbreviated name for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (see next entry)
• Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes — Knight's Cross (of the Iron Cross); award for valorous service for those who had already received the Iron Cross. Highest award class for bravery under fire or military leadership. 7318 of these were awarded during the war. Previous recipients of the Ritterkreuz would be awarded a higher degree of the same award, and then successively higher ones. The higher degrees are, in ascending order:
  • Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub — "knight's cross with oak leaves". 890 recipients during the war.
  • Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwerten — "knight's cross with oak leaves and swords". 159 recipients total, plus one honorary recipient (Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
    Isoroku Yamamoto
    was a Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a student of Harvard University ....
    
    )
  • Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwerten und Brillanten — "knight's cross with oak leaves, swords, and diamonds": 27 recipients total.
  • Ritterkreuz mit Goldenem Eichenlaub, Schwertern und Brillanten: "knight's cross with golden oak leaves, swords, and diamonds": only one recipient.
• Ritterkreuzauftrag, "Knight's Cross job" — soldiers' slang for a suicidal mission.
• Ritterkreuzträger — a holder of the Knight's Cross.
• Rittmeister
  Rittmeister
  Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
  
   — Captain, used instead of Hauptmann in the cavalry, reconnaissance, and horse-transport waffen.
• Rollkommando — small motorized (rolling) taskforce (non military: band for hit-and-run krime)
• Rommelspargel
  Rommelspargel
  Rommelspargel were logs that were placed in the fields and meadows of Normandy to cause damage to the expected invasion of Allied military gliders and paratroopers. Also known in German as Holzpfähle , the wooden defenses were placed in early 1944 in coastal areas of France and Holland against...
  
   — "Rommel's asparagus"; slanted and barb-wired poles placed in key places behind the Atlantic Wall
  Atlantic Wall
  The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
  
   with the intention of preventing paratroop and glider landings.
• Rotes Kreuz — Red Cross.
• RSO — the Raupenschlepper Ost
  Raupenschlepper, Ost
  Raupenschlepper Ost, literally "Caterpillar Tractor East", is more commonly abbreviated to RSO. This fully tracked, lightweight vehicle was conceived in response to the poor performance of wheeled and half-tracked vehicles in the mud and snow during the Wehrmacht's first winter on the Soviet Front...
  
   fully tracked artillery towing vehicle.
• Rückzug — retreat
  Withdrawal (military)
  A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
  
  .

S

• S-mine
  S-mine
  The German S-mine , also known as the "Bouncing Betty," is the best-known version of a class of mines known as bounding mines. When triggered, these mines launch into the air and then detonate at about . The explosion projects a lethal spray of steel balls and fragments in all directions...
  
   — a common type of anti-personnel landmine
  Land mine
  A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
  
  .
• SA — see Sturmabteilung
  Sturmabteilung
  The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
  
  .
• Sachbearbeiter — clerk
• die Sahnefront — (cream front) occupied Denmark World War II, a lot of food, minuscule fighting.
• Sanitäter ('Sani') — combat medic
• Sanitätsoffizier — Medical officer
• Sanitätsunteroffizier — Medical NCO
• Sanka — acronym for Sanitätskraftfahrtzeug, a term for German field ambulances.
• Saukopf — "pig's head", used to refer to the shape of a gun mantlet
  Gun mantlet
  A gun mantlet is an armour plate or shield attached to an armoured fighting vehicle's gun, protecting the opening through which the weapon's barrel projects from the hull or turret armour and, in many cases, ensuring the vulnerable warhead of a loaded shell does not protrude past the vehicle's...
  
   or mount.
• Schanzzeug — entrenching tool
  Entrenching tool
  An entrenching tool or E-tool is a collapsible spade used by military forces for a variety of military purposes. Survivalists, freedivers, campers, hikers and other outdoors groups have found it to be indispensable in field use...
  
  ; slang term for fork and knife.
• Scharfschütze — "sharpshooter"; sniper
  Sniper
  A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
  
  , marksman
  Marksman
  A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
  
  .
• Schatten — "shadow"; used to describe division headquarters that controlled just a few combat assets, usually for the purpose of misleading enemy intelligence.
• Scheisskommando — latrine detail as referred to by survivors of the Konzentrationslager.
• Scheuch-schlepper - the adapted three-wheel agricultural tractor used to tow the Luftwaffe's Komet
  Messerschmitt Me 163
  The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...
  
   rocket fighter on the ground.
• Schiffchen — side cap
• Schirmmütze — officer's and senior NCO's peaked cap
• Schirrmeister — Harness keeper
• Schlacht — battle. "Von" is used for a general location and "um" is used for what exactly was being fought over; for example, the Battle of Midway
  Battle of Midway
  The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
  
   is referred to as the "Schlacht um Midway" while the Battle of Trafalgar
  Battle of Trafalgar
  The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
  
   is called the "Schlacht von Trafalgar".
• Schlachtschiff — battleship
  Battleship
  A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
  
  .
• Schleichfahrt — silent running
  Silent running (submarine)
  Silent running is a stealth mode of operation for naval submarines. The aim is to evade discovery by passive sonar by eliminating superfluous noise: nonessential systems are shut down, the crew is urged to rest and refrain from making any unnecessary sound, and speed is greatly reduced to minimize...
  
  .
• schnell — fast.
• Schnellboot (S-Boot) — motor torpedo boat
  Motor Torpedo Boat
  Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
  
   (British term: "E-boat", for "enemy").
• Schnelle Truppen — mechanized troops (whether armour or infantry).
• Schräge Musik
  Schräge Musik
  Schräge Musik, derived from the German colloquialism for "Jazz Music" was the name given to installations of upward-firing autocannon mounted in night fighters by the Luftwaffe and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II, with the first victories for each occurring in May 1943...
  
   — "slanted music", obliquely upward/forward-firing offensive German night fighter armament.
• Schutzpolizei — "protection police", the municipal police; largest component of the uniformed police or Ordnungspolizei
  Ordnungspolizei
  The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
  
  .
• Schutzstaffel
  Schutzstaffel
  The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
  
  (SS) – "Protection Squadron", a major Nazi organization that grew from a small paramilitary unit that served as Hitler's personal body guard into militarily what was in practical terms the fourth branch of the Wehrmacht. It was not legally a part of the military (and therefore wore the national emblem on the left sleeve instead of over the right breast pocket). "SS" is formed from (S)chutz(s)taffel. Had a tri-force structure: Allgemeine-SS or "General SS", general main body of the Schutzstaffel; SS-Totenkopfverbände responsible for the concentration camps; SS-Verfügungstruppe made up of military "dispositional" troops which in 1940 officially became part of the Waffen-SS
  Waffen-SS
  The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
  
  .
• Schürze — "skirting", armour skirting added to tanks to give additional protection.
• Schussline — line of fire.
• Schütze
  Schütze
  Schütze in German means "shooter" or "rifleman". It also occasionally occurs as a surname, as Schütz, as in the opera Der Freischütz. The word itself is derived from the German word schützen, meaning to protect, or to guard...
  
   — rifleman; see also Scharfschütze.
• Schützenpanzerwagen (SPW) — armoured half-track
  Half-track
  A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling...
  
   or self propelled weapon.
• Schutzhaft — "protective custody
  Protective custody
  Protective custody is a type of imprisonment to protect a prisoner from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within prisoners, is a chief factor causing the need for PC units...
  
  "; a euphemism for the power to imprison people without judicial proceedings, typically in concentration camps.
• Schutzhaftbefehl — "protective custody order"; document declaring that a detained person desired to be imprisoned; normally this signature was forced by torture.
• Schwadron (plural: Schwadrone) — "squadron"; used in the cavalry
  Cavalry
  Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
  
  , a squadron was basically company-sized.
  • Schwadronführer — company commander in the cavalry
  • Schwadrontruppführer — company HQ section leader
• Schwarm — Flight (military unit)
  Flight (military unit)
  A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps. It usually comprises three to six aircraft, with their aircrews and ground staff; or, in the case of a non-flying ground flight, no aircraft and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel. In most usages,...
  
  
• Schwarze Kapelle
  Schwarze Kapelle
  The Schwarze Kapelle was a term used by the Gestapo to refer to a group of conspirators within the German military who plotted to overthrow Adolf Hitler. It included many senior officers within the Wehrmacht.-Membership:...
  
   — "Black Orchestra"; a term used to describe a group of conspirators within the German Army who plotted to overthrow Hitler and came near to successfully assassinating
  Assassination
  To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
  
   him on 20 July 1944.
• Schweinereien — "scandalous acts" (lit.: "acts of a pig"); (in a military context) crimes against civilians.
• schwer — (1) adjective meaning "heavy", the word "gross" (large) can mean the same; (2) hard/difficult.
• Schwerer Kreuzer — heavy cruiser
  Heavy cruiser
  The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
  
  .
• Schwerpunkt — main axis of attack
• Schwert — sword
  Sword
  A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
  
  .
• Schwimmpanzer — amphibious or "swimming" tank.
• SD — see Sicherheitsdienst.
• SdKfz — Sonderkraftfahrzeug
• Seekriegsleitung
  Seekriegsleitung
  The Seekriegsleitung or SKL was the high command of the Kaiserliche Marine and the Kriegsmarine of Germany during the World Wars.It led planning and execution of naval combat and directed the distribution of naval forces...
  
   (SKL) — directorate of the Naval War.
• Sehrohr — periscope
  Periscope
  A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
  
  ; literally "looking tube".
• Sehrohrtiefe — periscope depth.
• Seitengewehr — bayonet
  Bayonet
  A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
  
  .
• Selbstfahrlafette — self-propelled gun carriage.
• Selbstschutz — ethnic German civilian militia
  Militia
  The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
  
  .
• Sicherheitsdienst
  Sicherheitsdienst
  Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
  
   (SD) — "security service"; the SS and Nazi Party security service. Later, the main intelligence-gathering, and counter-espionage sections of the RSHA; originally headed by Reinhard Heydrich
  Reinhard Heydrich
  Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
  
  .
• Sicherheitspolizei
  Sicherheitspolizei
  The Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1936 and 1939...
  
   (SiPo) — "security police", the combined forces of the Gestapo
  Gestapo
  The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
  
   and KriPo, made up of the Reich's criminal investigators and secret state police.
• "sichern und laden" — "lock and load".
• Sicherungsflottillen — (1) escort ships, (2) paramilitary
  Paramilitary
  A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
  
   organization of unemployed ex-soldiers, who were recruited to protect Nazi speakers, and because of their clothing were called "Brown Shirts".
• Sieg — victory
  Victory
  Victory is successful conclusion of a fight or competition..Victory may refer to:**strategic victory**tactical victory** Pyrrhic victory, a victory at heavy cost to the victorious party**Victory columns**Victory Monuments**Victory personified...
  
  .
• Sigrunen
  Sig Rune
  Sig is the name given by Guido von List for the Sigel or s rune of the Armanen Futharkh, and is also used by Karl Maria Wiligut for his runes.-Nazism:...
  
   — the name of the double "S" runes used by the SS.
• SiPo — see Sicherheitspolizei.
• Sippenhaftung — the practice of arresting members of a person's family for political crimes or treason
  Treason
  In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
  
   committed by that person.
• Soldat — soldier/enlisted man.
• Soldbuch — pay book carried by every member of the German armed forces. Unit information, a record of all equipment issued, and other details were entered into this book.
• Sollstärke — authorized strength
• Sonderbehandlung
  Sonderbehandlung
  Sonderbehandlung is a German noun meaning special treatment in English, also existing as a verb: sonderbehandeln . While it can refer to any sort of preferential treatment, it is known primarily as a euphemism used by Nazi functionaries and the SS for murder...
  
   — "special treatment"; a Nazi euphemism meaning torture or killing of people in detention.
• Sonderfahndungslisten — wanted-persons list.
• Sonderkommando
  Sonderkommando
  Sonderkommandos were work units of Nazi death camp prisoners, composed almost entirely of Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the disposal of gas chamber victims during The Holocaust...
  
   — "special unit"; an official term that applied to certain German and foreign SS units that operated in German-occupied areas, who were responsible for the liquidation of persons not desirable to the Nazi government; ALSO: Jewish inmates of extermination camps, assigned to clear gas chamber
  Gas chamber
  A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
  
  s of corpses, etc.
• Sonderkraftfahrzeug (Sd. Kfz.) — "special-purpose motor vehicle", usually abbreviated and referring to an Ordinance Inventory Number.
• Sonderreferat — special administrative section.
• Späher — scout
  Reconnaissance
  Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
  
  .
• Spähtrupp - combat patrol
• Spähwagen — armoured car, scout/reconnaissance vehicle.
• Sperrlinie — blocking line.
• Sperrschule — Mine Warfare School at Kiel-Wik.
• Spieß — "pike
  Pike (weapon)
  A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
  
  "; colloquial name for the mustering and administrative non-commissioned officer of a company, the Hauptfeldwebel. Typically held the rank of Oberfeldwebel or Stabsfeldwebel. He exercised more authority than his American counterpart (First Sergeant), but his duties did not ordinarily include combat leadership.
• Spion — spy
  Espionage
  Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
  
  .
• Sprengstoff — explosive material
  Explosive material
  An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
  
  .
• SS — see Schutzstaffel
  Schutzstaffel
  The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
  
  .
• SS-TV — SS-Totenkopfverbände (SS Death's Head Units).
• SS-Verfügungstruppe
  SS-Verfügungstruppe
  The SS-Verfügungstruppe was formed in 1934 as combat troops for the NSDAP. By 1940 these military SS units had become the nucleus of the Waffen-SS....
  
  n — "units available" or military formations of the SS; became the core of the Waffen-SS formed in August 1940.
• Stab (pl. Stäbe) — "staff", sometimes HQ.
• Stabschef — chief of staff
  Chief of Staff
  The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
  
  .
• Stabsfeldwebel — lit. "Staff Sergeant
  Staff Sergeant
  Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
  
  ", but roughly equivalent to Sergeant Major: the highest non-commissioned officer rank.
• Stacheldraht — barbed wire
  Barbed wire
  Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
  
  .
• Stadtkommandant — military commander of a city.
• Staffel — squadron
  Squadron (aviation)
  A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
  
  ; the smallest operational air unit, and the primary operational unit of the World War I era Luftstreitkräfte
  Luftstreitkräfte
  The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
  
  .
  • Staffelführer
    Staffelführer
    Staffelführer was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German Schutzstaffel in the early years of that group’s existence...
    
    
  • Staffelkapitän
    Staffelkapitän
    Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
    
    
• Stahlhelm
  Stahlhelm
  Stahlhelm is German for "steel helmet". The Imperial German Army began to replace the traditional boiled-leather Pickelhaube with the Stahlhelm during World War I in 1916...
  
   — (1) literally "steel helmet"; (2) inter-war nationalist organization.
• Stalag — acronym for Stammlager, German prisoner-of-war camp
  Prisoner-of-war camp
  A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
  
   for ranks other than officers.
• Stalinorgel — "Stalin's Organ"; nickname for the Katyusha rocket launcher.
• Stammkennzeichen — four-letter radio identification code applied to factory-fresh Luftwaffe aircraft, also used for prototype identification, not used on non-day-fighter aircraft assigned to a particular Luftwaffe wing, where a Geschwaderkennung code would be used instead.
• Standarte — SS unit equivalent to a regiment
  Regiment
  A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
  
  .
• Stellung — position
• Stellungskrieg — attrition warfare
  Attrition warfare
  Attrition warfare is a military strategy in which a belligerent side attempts to win a war by wearing down its enemy to the point of collapse through continuous losses in personnel and matériel....
  
  .
• Stellungsunteroffizier — gun position NCO
• Steuerbord — starboard
  Port and starboard
  Port and starboard are nautical terms which refer to the left and right sides, respectively, of a ship or aircraft as perceived by a person on board facing the bow . At night, the port side of a vessel is indicated with a red navigation light and the starboard side with a green one.The starboard...
  
   side of a ship.
• Stielhandgranate — stick hand grenade: the "potato masher" Model 24 grenade
  Model 24 grenade
  The Model 24 Stielhandgranate was the standard hand grenade of the German Army from the end of World War I until the end of World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to its being called a "stick grenade", or a "potato masher" in British Army slang, and is today one of the most easily...
  
  .
• Stoßtrupp — small unit as shock or attack troops.
• Strategischer Sieg — strategic victory
  Strategic victory
  A strategic victory is a victory that brings long-term advantage to the victor, and disturbs the enemy's ability to wage a war. When a historian speaks of a victory in general, it is usually referring to a strategic victory....
  
  .
• Stube — room in the barracks, quarters
• Stuka — acronym for Sturzkampfflugzeug, literally, "dive-bombing aircraft". Particularly associated with the German Ju-87
  Junkers Ju 87
  The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
  
   dive bomber
  Dive bomber
  A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
  
  , although the German term refers to any dive bomber.
• Stukageschwader — a dive bomberwing
  Wing (air force unit)
  Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
  
  /group
  Group (air force unit)
  A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
  
  , later Schlachtgeschwader in a ground support role (SG).
• Stupa — a Sturmpanzer IV
  Brummbär
  The Sturmpanzer IV was a German armoured infantry support gun based on the Panzer IV chassis used in the Second World War. It was used at the Battles of Kursk, Anzio, Normandy, and helped to put down the Warsaw Uprising...
  
   assault gun
  Assault gun
  An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions....
  
  .
• Sturm — assault.
• Sturmabteilung
  Sturmabteilung
  The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
  
   (SA) — "storm battalion," stormtroopers, not part of the army. In the beginning the Nazi Party's "Brown Shirt" bully-boys and street brawlers which grew by 1934 into a paramilitary force of nearly a half-million men; after the purge of its leadership by the Schutzstaffel (SS) and Gestapo during the Night of the Long Knives
  Night of the Long Knives
  The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
  
   rapidly decreased in numbers and influence.
• Sturmbann [plural: Sturmbanne] — lit. "storm band," a battalion; used by SA and SS units until 1940.
• Sturmgeschütz
  Sturmgeschütz
  Sturmgeschütz is a German word for "assault gun", usually abbreviated StuG. The vehicle was a leading weapon of the Sturmartillerie, a branch of the German artillery tasked with close fire support of infantry in infantry, panzer, and panzergrenadier units...
  
   (StuG) — self-propelled assault gun
  Assault gun
  An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions....
  
  , such as the Sturmgeschütz III
  Sturmgeschütz III
  The Sturmgeschütz III assault gun was Germany's most produced armoured fighting vehicle during World War II. It was built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III tank...
  
  .
• Sturmgewehr
  Sturmgewehr 44
  The StG 44 was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment, considered by many historians to be the first modern assault rifle...
  
   — assault rifle.
• StuK - Sturmkanone, prefix for the main armament of any German self-propelled artillery, also "StuH" for Sturmhaubitze, when a howitzer
  Howitzer
  A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
  
   was used instead on a tracked chassis.
• Stützpunkt — military base
  Military base
  A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
  
  .
• Süden — south.
• Swastika
  Swastika
  The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
  
   — English term for the German Hakenkreuz.
• sWS — Schwere Wehrmachtschlepper
  Schwere Wehrmachtschlepper
  The Schwerer Wehrmachtschlepper , or sWS for short, was a German World War II half-track flat-bed cargo vehicle used in various roles between 1943 and 1945. The unarmored models were used as supply vehicles and as tractors to haul things...
  
  , late World War II "replacement" half-track vehicle.

T

• Tagesbefehl — order of the day
• tauchen — dive; submerge.
• Tauchpanzer — submersible tank.
• Teilkommando — a small, section
  Section (military unit)
  A section is a small military unit in some armies. In many armies, it is a squad of seven to twelve soldiers. However in France and armies based on the French model, it is the sub-division of a company .-Australian Army:...
  
  -sized command group.
• Testflug — flight test
  Flight test
  Flight test is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops and gathers data during flight of an aircraft and then analyzes the data to evaluate the flight characteristics of the aircraft and validate its design, including safety aspects...
  
  , shakedown cruise
  Shakedown cruise
  Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
  
  
• Tiger — name given to the PzKW Panzer VI "Tiger I
  Tiger I
  Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
  
  " and "Tiger II
  Tiger II
  Tiger II is the common name of a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B,Panzerkampfwagen – abbr: Pz. or Pz.Kfw. Ausführung – abbr: Ausf. .The full titles Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf...
  
  " series of tanks, as well as the Jagdtiger
  Jagdtiger
  Jagdtiger is the common name of a German tank destroyer of World War II. The official German designation was Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B. The ordnance inventory designation was Sd. Kfz. 186. It saw service in small numbers from late 1944 to the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front...
  
  tank destroyer
  Tank destroyer
  A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
  
  , based on the Tiger II, and Sturmtiger
  Sturmtiger
  Sturmtiger is the common name of a World War II German assault gun built on the Tiger I chassis and armed with a large naval rocket launcher. The official German designation was Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61. Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units...
  
  , built on the Tiger I's chassis
  Chassis
  A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
  
  .
• Todesmärsche — "Death marches
  Death marches (Holocaust)
  The death marches refer to the forcible movement between Autumn 1944 and late April 1945 by Nazi Germany of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps near the war front to camps inside Germany.-General:...
  
  " — at the end of the war when it became obvious that the German army was trapped between the Soviets
  Soviet Union
  The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
  
   to the east and the advancing Allied troops
  Allies of World War II
  The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
  
   from the west, the Nazis, in an attempt to prevent the liberation of concentration camp inmates, forced them to march westward toward Germany proper. Thousands died in these marches.
• Tommy — German slang for a British soldier (similar to "Jerry" or "Kraut", the British and American slang terms for Germans).
• Totenkopf
  Totenkopf
  The Totenkopf is the German word for the death's head and an old symbol for death or the dead. It consists usually of the skull and the mandible of the human skeleton...
  
   — "death's head",skull and crossbones, also the nickname for the Kampfgeschwader 54
  Kampfgeschwader 54
  Kampfgeschwader 54 "Totenkopf" was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II .Its units participated on all of the fronts in the European Theatre until it was disbanded in May 1945. It operated two of the major German bomber types; the Heinkel He 111 and the Junkers Ju 88...
  
   bomber wing of the World War II era Luftwaffe.
• Tornister - Back pack
• Totenkopfverbände — "Death's Head units", employed as guards in Nazi concentration camps, many later became the members of units of the Waffen-SS
  Waffen-SS
  The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
  
  , such as the SS Division Totenkopf.
• Totenkopfwachsturmbanne — Death's Head Guard battalions; units of the SS that guarded concentration camps during the war.
• Treffer — hit. Mostly in past tense. "Torpedo getroffen!" = "Torpedo hit!" or "Torpedo impact!"
• Tropenhelm — pith helmet
  Pith helmet
  The pith helmet is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith...
  
  ; a wide-rimmed fabric-covered cork helmet used in tropical areas, most notably by the Afrika Korps
  Afrika Korps
  The German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
  
  .
• Trupp (pl. Trupps) — Smallest tactical unit of 2 to 8 men, best comparing to Fireteam
  Fireteam
  A fireteam is a small military unit of infantry. It is the smallest unit in the militaries that use it and is the primary unit upon which infantry organization is based in the British Army, Royal Air Force Regiment, Royal Marines, United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Air...
  
   but also used in non-combat tasks as logistics.
• Truppe (pl. Truppen) — summarising term for armed forces, in some context it stands for the enlisted personnel.
• Truppenamt
  Truppenamt
  The Truppenamt or 'Troop Office' was the cover organisation for the German General Staff from 1919 through until 1933 when the General Staff was re-created. This subterfuge was deemed necessary in order for Germany to be seen to meet the requirements of the Versailles Treaty...
  
   — "Troop Office", the disguised Army General Staff
  General Staff
  A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
  
   after the Versailles Treaty abolished the German Army General Staff.
• Truppenarzt — physician in units and sub-units with organic medical sections, e.g. Regimentsarzt, Bataillonsarzt
• Truppführer — team leader

U

• UAA — see U-Fahrausbildungslehrgang.
• U-bootjäger (UJ-boats) — steam trawlers
  Naval trawler
  A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
  
   equipped for anti-submarine operations
  Anti-submarine warfare
  Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
  
  .
• U-Fahrausbildungslehrgang — where submarine personnel learned to operate U-boats.
• U-Lehrdivision (ULD) — U-boat Training Division (see Kommandanten-Schießlehrgang).
• Untermenschen — those peoples the Nazis derided as "subhuman" (see Entmenscht).
• Unteroffizier
  Unteroffizier
  Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
  
   — (1) a non-commissioned officer; (2) the lowest NCO rank, typical for e.g. infantry squad leaders and functionally equivalent to US Sergeant or UK Corporal.
• Unteroffiziere mit Portepee
  Unteroffiziere mit Portepee
  Unteroffiziere mit Portepee, literally "petty officers with swordknot", is the designation for German senior non-commissioned officers in the German Army. The name derives from earlier traditions in which senior enlisted men would carry a sword into battle. The word portepee derives from French...
  
   — senior NCO; lit. "underofficer with sword-knot."
• Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee
  Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee
  Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee is the designation for German junior non-commissioned officers in the German army...
  
   — junior NCO; lit. "underofficer without sword-knot."
• Unterführer — summarized term for all non-commissioned officers; literally: "subleaders".
• Unterseeboot
  U-boat
  U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
  
   (U-boot) — literally, "undersea boat"; submarine
  Submarine
  A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
  
  . In the English-speaking world, there is a distinction between "U-boat" and "submarine": "U-boat" refers to a German submarine, particularly the ones used during the world wars. In German, there is no distinction as "U-boat" is used for any submarine, such as "Deutsche U-boot" or "Amerikanische U-boot".
• Ural bomber
  Ural bomber
  The Ural bomber was a program to develop a long-range bomber for the Luftwaffe, created and led by General Walther Wever in the early 1930s. Wever died in an air crash in 1936 and the program ended almost immediately...
  
   - Luftwaffe General Walter Wever
  Walther Wever (general)
  Walther Wever was a pre-World War II Luftwaffe Commander.-Early life:Walther Wever was born on 11 November 1887 in Wilhelmsort in the county of Bromberg . He was the son of Arnold Wever, the one-time director of a Berlin bank and the grandson of the Prussian Prosecutor-General Dr...
  
  's initiative to build Germany's first four engined strategic bomber
  Strategic bomber
  A strategic bomber is a heavy bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, which are used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment, strategic bombers are...
  
   at the dawn of the Third Reich, with prototypes coming from Dornier and Junkers
  Junkers Ju 89
  |-See also:-External links:*...
  
  . After Wever's death in 1936, the program was shelved.
• Urlaub — furlough; also: vacation
  Vacation
  A vacation or holiday is a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations...
  
  .
• UvD — Unteroffizier
  Unteroffizier
  Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
  
   vom Dienst - Sergeant in charge of CQ
  CQ
  CQ may refer to:Locations:* Central Queensland* Chongqing, China* Northern Mariana Islands: FIPS Pub 10-4 and obsolete NATO digramMedia, Publications* Congressional Quarterly* CQ Amateur Radio* CQ ham radio...
  
  

V

• V1
  V-1 flying bomb
  The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
  
   — the first of the operational German "weapons of vengeance", or Vergeltungswaffen, the V1
  V-1 flying bomb
  The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
  
   was a pilotless, pioneering cruise missile
  Cruise missile
  A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
  
   powered by a pulse-jet engine
  Pulse jet engine
  A pulse jet engine is a type of jet engine in which combustion occurs in pulses. Pulsejet engines can be made with few or no moving parts, and are capable of running statically....
  
   and carried an 850 kg (1875 lb) high-explosive warhead
  Warhead
  The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
  
  . They had a range of up to 200 km. Nicknamed "buzz bombs" by Allied troops ("doodlebug" by Australians) due to the sound they made.
• V2
  V-2 rocket
  The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
  
   Rocket — Also known as the A4, the successor to the V1 was the pioneering supersonic SRBM powered by liquid oxygen and alcohol, it had a 975 kg (2150 lb) high-explosive warhead and a range of 320 km.
• V3
  V-3 cannon
  The V-3 was a German World War II supergun working on the multi-charge principle whereby secondary propellant charges are fired to add velocity to a projectile....
  
   — long-range, smooth-bore multiple-chamber supergun
  Supergun
  A supergun is an extraordinarily large artillery piece. This size may be due to a large bore, barrel length or a combination of the two. While early examples tended to have a fairly short range more recent examples sometimes had an extremely high muzzle velocity resulting in a very long...
  
   nicknamed the Hochdruckpumpe (high-pressure pump), designed to fire shells carrying up to a 10 kg (22 lb) high-explosive warhead at a range of 93 km. It was never very successful as most installations were destroyed by bombing before they could be used.
• Verband — formation (from a battalion to a brigade).
• Verbindungsoffizier — liaison officer
• verdächtige Elemente/Personen — suspicious elements/persons.
• Verfügungstruppen — "[Special] Disposal Troops"; SS combat units, became the Waffen-SS in 1940.
• Vergeltungsmaßnahmen — reprisals; retaliatory punitive measures.
• Vernichtungskrieg — (1) "war of annihilation" against USSR civilians; (2) dogmatic offensive.
• Vernichtungslager — extermination camp.
• Verpflegung - food supplies
• Verräter — traitor
  Treason
  In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
  
  .
• "Verstanden" — procedure word
  Procedure word
  Procedure words or prowords are words or phrases limited to radio telephone procedure used to facilitate communication by conveying information in a condensed standard form. - OUT :...
  
  ; "understood", "roger
  Roger
  Roger is primarily a common first name of English, French and Catalan usage, from the Germanic elements hrod and ger meaning "famous with the spear." The Latin form of the name is Rogerius, as used by a few medieval figures.The name Roger was transmitted to England by the Normans after the...
  
  ".
• Verstärkung — reinforcement.
• Versuchs — experimental. Hence the "V" designation for any military aircraft prototype for the World War II era Luftwaffe. Originated by the Fokker Flugzeugbau in 1916, solely for its own experimental designs.
• Versuchskonstruktion — prototype
  Prototype
  A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
  
  .
• Verwendung — duty position
• Veterinäroffizier — veterinarian officer
• Vichy France
  Vichy France
  Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
  
   — French regime set up in the city of Vichy
  Vichy
  Vichy is a commune in the department of Allier in Auvergne in central France. It belongs to the historic province of Bourbonnais.It is known as a spa and resort town and was the de facto capital of Vichy France during the World War II Nazi German occupation from 1940 to 1944.The town's inhabitants...
  
   under Marshal Philippe Petain
  Philippe Pétain
  Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
  
   in collaboration with the Germans following the fall of France in 1940. It governed the southern half of France until its dissolution in 1944.
• Vierling — German for "quadruple", referring to any weapons mount that used four machine guns or autocannon of the same make and model, in a single traversable and elevatible mount, used as part of the name for the Flakvierling quadmount 20mm anti-aircraft cannon system, and the experimental HL 131V (Hecklafette 131-Vierling) tail turret, mounting four MG 131 12.7mm machine guns in an enclosed, powered defensive position for advanced German late-war bomber aircraft designs.
• Vizeadmiral — Naval rank of Vice Admiral
  Vice Admiral
  Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
  
  
• völkisch — popular, in the sense of "of the (German) populace." An adjective derived from "Volk" meaning "people," coming from the racist, nationalist ideology
  Ideology
  An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
  
   which divided people into "pure" Aryans
  Aryan race
  The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
  
   and inferior Untermenschen.
• Volksdeutsche
  Volksdeutsche
  Volksdeutsche - "German in terms of people/folk" -, defined ethnically, is a historical term from the 20th century. The words volk and volkische conveyed in Nazi thinking the meanings of "folk" and "race" while adding the sense of superior civilization and blood...
  
   — ethnic Germans.
• Volksgemeinschaft — national community or civilian population; public support (see Kameradschaft).
• Volksgrenadier
  Volksgrenadier
  Volksgrenadier was the name given to a type of German Army division formed in the Autumn of 1944 after the double loss of Army Group Center to the Soviets in Operation Bagration and the Fifth Panzer Army to the Allies in Normandy. The name itself was intended to build morale, appealing at once to...
  
   — "People's Infantryman", a morale
  Morale
  Morale, also known as esprit de corps when discussing the morale of a group, is an intangible term used to describe the capacity of people to maintain belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others...
  
  -building honorific
  Honorific
  An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
  
   given to low-grade infantry divisions raised or reconstituted in the last months of the war.
• Volkskrieg — "People's War".
• Volkssturm
  Volkssturm
  The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
  
   — people's semi-military defense force, made up mostly of boys and older men.
• Volkstumskampf — ethnic struggle.
• Vorausabteilung — advance detachment
• Vorgeschobener Beobachter — forward observer
• Vorpostenboot
  Vorpostenboot
  Vorpostenboots were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars...
  
  e (VP-boot) — coastal escort vessels and motor launches with anti-submarine
  Anti-submarine weapon
  An anti-submarine weapon is any one of a range of devices that are intended to act against a submarine, and its crew, to destroy the vessel or to destroy or reduce its capability as a weapon of war...
  
   and minesweeping
  Minesweeper (ship)
  A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
  
   gear. Also called Küstenfischkutter (KFK), as they were patrol vessels constructed to a fishing-vessel design.

W

• Wabos — in U-boat terminology, the nickname for Wasserbomben, literally "water bombs," (depth charge
  Depth charge
  A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
  
  s).
• Wach- — guard (in conjunction).
• Wachsamkeit — vigilance
  Vigilance (psychology)
  In modern psychology, vigilance, also termed sustained attention, is defined as the ability to maintain attention and alertness over prolonged periods of time. The study of vigilance has expanded since the 1940s mainly due to the increased interaction of people with machines for applications...
  
  .
• Wachtmeister
  Wachtmeister
  Wachtmeister was a German, Austrian and Swiss military rank of non-commissioned officers. It was also adopted into Russian Army vakhmistr and was used as Sergeant-grade rank in cavalry , then Special Corps of Gendarmes and Cossack cavalry and Cossack Leib Guard units...
  
   — senior NCO (equivalent to Feldwebel) in cavalry and artillery units.
• Waffe (plural: Waffen) — "weapon", or can be an adjective meaning "armed".
• Waffenamt
  Waffenamt
  Waffenamt was the German Army Weapons Agency. It was the centre for research and development of Germany and also during the Third Reich for weapons, ammunition and army equipment to the German Reichswehr and later Wehrmacht...
  
   — "weapons office" — arms inspection stamp or mark.
• Waffenfarbe — arm of service colour
• Waffen-SS
  Waffen-SS
  The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
  
   — "Armed SS". The military combat branch of the SS that was created in August 1940 with the amalgamation of the Verfügungstruppe, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) and the combat Standarten of the Totenkopfverbände.
• Wagen — vehicle, car.
• Wehrkraftzersetzung — undermining the fighting spirit of the troops.
• Wehrkreis — German military district
  Military district (Germany)
  During World War II Germany used the system of military districts to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the Field Army...
  
   centered on an important city.
• Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
   — German armed forces under the Third Reich
  Nazi Germany
  Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
  
   consisting of three branches: the Heer
  German Army
  The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
  
  (Army), the Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe
  Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
  
  (Air Force), and the Kriegsmarine
  Kriegsmarine
  The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
  
  (Navy).
• Wehrmachtbericht
  Wehrmachtbericht
  The Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
  
   — a daily radio broadcast that described the military situation on all fronts during World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  .
• Wehrmachtführungsstab — Armed Forces Operations Staff.
• Wehrmachtsadler — the Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
  's eagle insignia.
• Wehrmachtgefolge — Armed Forces Auxiliaries. These include those organizations that were not a part of the armed forces but which served such an important support role that they were given protection under the Geneva Convention and/or militarized. The armed forces auxiliaries consisted in part of the Reichsarbeitsdienst
  Reichsarbeitsdienst
  The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
  
  , NSKK
  National Socialist Motor Corps
  The National Socialist Motor Corps , also known as the National Socialist Drivers Corps, was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party that existed from 1931 to 1945. The group was a successor organization to the older National Socialist Automobile Corps, which had existed since the beginning...
  
  , Organisation Todt
  Organisation Todt
  The Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
  
  , and the Volkssturm
  Volkssturm
  The Volkssturm was a German national militia of the last months of World War II. It was founded on Adolf Hitler's orders on October 18, 1944 and conscripted males between the ages of 16 to 60 years who were not already serving in some military unit as part of a German Home Guard.-Origins and...
  
  .
• Wehrmachtskanister — Robust tank used to carry fuel. Called a "Jerrycan
  Jerrycan
  A jerrycan is a robust fuel container originally made from pressed steel. It was designed in Germany in the 1930s for military use to hold 20 litres of fuel. The development of the Jerrycan was a huge improvement on earlier designs, which required tools and funnels to use.-Uses:Today similar...
  
  " by the Allies.
• Wehrpass — German military individual service record booklet.
• Werwolf
  Werwolf
  Werwolf was the name given to a Nazi plan, which began development in 1944, to create a commando force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany itself. Werwolf remained entirely ineffectual as a combat force, however, and in practical terms, its value as...
  
   — German guerrilla
  Guerrilla warfare
  Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
  
   fighters dedicated to harass Allied rear areas. Initially conceived as an adjunct to the Jagd-Kommando units and placed under the command of Otto Skorzeny
  Otto Skorzeny
  Otto Skorzeny was an SS-Obersturmbannführer in the German Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front, he was chosen as the field commander to carry out the rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity...
  
  , the idea was later appropriated by Joseph Goebbels
  Joseph Goebbels
  Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
  
   to represent the general rising up of the German people to defend against foreign invasion. It was not well organized or widely effective, and there were only a few known instances of involvement, mainly after the war ended and mostly in the eastern regions.
• Wespe
  Wespe
  The SdKfz 124 Wespe , also known as Leichte Feldhaubitze 18 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II , was a German self-propelled artillery vehicle developed and used during the Second World War...
  
   — "wasp", a self-propelled 105mm howitzer on PzKpfw II
  Panzer II
  The Panzer II was the common name for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II...
  
   chassis.
• Westen — west.
• Widerstandskräfte — insurgents (see Freischärler).
• Wolf — the military designation name for a Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  Mercedes-Benz G-Class
  The original 460-series Geländewagen went on sale for civilian buyers in 1979, after having debuted in February of that year. It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheelbase of 2,400 mm and a long one of 2,850 mm. One could choose between three body styles: A two-door short...
  
   in the German Bundeswehr.
• Wolfsrudel — wolf pack, an anti-convoy tactic developed by Admiral Dönitz prior to the war.
• Wolfsschanze
  Wolfsschanze
  Wolf's Lair is the standard English name for Wolfsschanze, Adolf Hitler's first World War II Eastern Front military headquarters, one of several Führerhauptquartier or FHQs located in various parts of Europe...
  
   "Wolf's Lair" — Hitler's first World War II Eastern Front military headquarters, one of several Führer Headquarters or FHQs located in various parts of Europe. The complex, built for Operation Barbarossa
  Operation Barbarossa
  Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
  
   (the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union) was located in the Masurian woods, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Rastenburg, East Prussia
  East Prussia
  East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
  
   (N/K/A Kętrzyn
  Ketrzyn
  Kętrzyn , is a town in northeastern Poland with 28,351 inhabitants . Situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , Kętrzyn was previously in Olsztyn Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kętrzyn County...
  
  , Poland
  Poland
  Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
  
  ).
• Wotan
  Battle of the beams
  The Battle of the Beams was a period early in the Second World War when bombers of the German Air Force used a number of increasingly accurate systems of radio navigation for night bombing. British "scientific intelligence" at the Air Ministry fought back with a variety of increasingly effective...
  
   — alternative name for the Y-Gerät radio navigation
  Radio navigation
  Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio frequencies to determine a position on the Earth. Like radiolocation, it is a type of radiodetermination.The basic principles are measurements from/to electric beacons, especially...
  
   system.
• Würzburg radar
  Würzburg radar
  The Würzburg radar was the primary ground-based gun laying radar for both the Luftwaffe and the German Army during World War II. Initial development took place before the war, entering service in 1940. Eventually over 4,000 Würzburgs of various models were produced...
  
   — German air defense
  Anti-aircraft warfare
  NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
  
   radar that went into service in 1940; over 3,000 of all variants were built.

X

• X-Gerät — "X-device" or "X-equipment"; radio navigation
  Radio navigation
  Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio frequencies to determine a position on the Earth. Like radiolocation, it is a type of radiodetermination.The basic principles are measurements from/to electric beacons, especially...
  
   equipment used on German aircraft.

Y

• Y-Beam — German aircraft navigational system which utilized a single station that radiated a directional beam plus a ranging signal which the bomber
  Bomber
  A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
  
   picked up and re-transmitted to enable the ground controllers to compute the range and know when to order the bombs to be dropped.
• Y-Gerät
  Y-Gerät (navigation)
  Y-Gerät , also known as Wotan, was a radio navigation system used by the Luftwaffe in World War II to aid bomber navigation. It was preceded by the X-Gerät system....
  
   — "Y-device" or "Y-equipment"; radio navigation
  Radio navigation
  Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio frequencies to determine a position on the Earth. Like radiolocation, it is a type of radiodetermination.The basic principles are measurements from/to electric beacons, especially...
  
   equipment used on German aircraft.

Z

• Z-Plan (or Plan-Z)
  Plan Z
  Plan Z was the name given to the planned re-equipment and expansion of the Nazi German Navy ordered by Adolf Hitler on January 27, 1939...
  
   was the name given to the re-equipment and expansion of the Kriegsmarine
  Kriegsmarine
  The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
  
   (Nazi German Navy) as ordered by Adolf Hitler on 27 January 1939. The plan called for 10 battleships, four aircraft carriers, three battlecruisers, eight heavy cruisers, 44 light cruisers, 68 destroyers and 249 U-boats by 1944 that was meant to challenge the naval power of the United Kingdom. The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 came far too early to implement the plan.
• Z3 — pioneering computer
  Computer
  A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
  
   developed by Konrad Zuse
  Konrad Zuse
  Konrad Zuse was a German civil engineer and computer pioneer. His greatest achievement was the world's first functional program-controlled Turing-complete computer, the Z3, which became operational in May 1941....
  
   in 1941, it was destroyed by bombardment in 1944.
• z.b.V. — see zur besonderen Verwendung
  ZbV
  zbV is an abbreviation for the German term "zur besonderen Verwendung" meaning "Special Purpose". It is usually translated "For Special Employment"....
  
  .
• Zeit — time.
• Zeitplan — timetable
  Timetable
  Timetable may refer to:* Calendar, a system of organizing one's schedule* Schedule , a list of employees who are working on any given day, week, or month in a workplace...
  
  , schedule.
• Zeltbahn — a triangular or square shelter quarter
  Tent
  A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
  
   made of closely woven, water-repellent cotton duck
  Cotton duck
  Cotton duck , also simply duck, sometimes duck cloth or duck canvas, commonly called "canvas" outside the textile industry, is a heavy, plain woven cotton fabric...
  
  . It could be used on its own as a poncho or put together with others to create shelters and tents. Also called Zeltplane.
• Zentralstelle II P — Central Office II P (Poland).
• Zerstörer — destroyer
  Destroyer
  In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
  
  .
• Ziel — target, objective.
• Zimmerit
  Zimmerit
  Zimmerit was a coating produced for German armored fighting vehicles during World War II for the purpose of combating magnetically attached anti-tank mines, although Germany was the only country to use magnetic mines against tanks in large scale numbers...
  
   — an anti-magnetic mine paste applied on the armour of German tanks to prevent magnetic mines
  Anti-tank mine
  An anti-tank mine, , is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles....
  
   from being attached. It was similar to cement, and was applied on the tanks with a rake, giving the vehicle a rough appearance. From the summer of the 1943 to mid-1944 Zimmerit became a standard characteristic on many German panzers.
• Zossen
  Zossen
  Zossen is a German town in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg, south of Berlin, and next to the B96 highway. Zossen consists of several smaller municipalities, which were grouped together in 2003 to form the city.-Geography:...
  
   — The underground bunker complex that was headquarters for both the Wehrmacht
  Wehrmacht
  The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
  
   (OKW) and (Heer
  Heer
  Heer is German for "army". Generally, its use as "army" is not restricted to any particular country, so "das britische Heer" would mean "the British army".However, more specifically it can refer to:*An army of Germany:...
  
  ) Army High Command (OKH) located approximately 20 miles west of Berlin in Zossen, Germany.
• Zug — platoon
  Platoon
  A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
  
   or train.
• Zugführer — platoon leader
• Zugtruppführer — platoon HQ section leader
• Zur besonderen Verwendung (z.b.V.) — for special employment. Sometimes a killing squad/unit, but also used for divisions raised for special reasons (e.g., the Division zbV Afrika).
• Zyklon-B — commercial name for the prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid) gas used in German extermination camps.

List of German military ranks

Approximate ranks relative to US ranks:

• Reichsmarschall
  Reichsmarschall
  Reichsmarschall literally in ; was the highest rank in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II after the position of Supreme Commander held by Adolf Hitler....
  
   – "Marshal of the Empire", the highest rank in the German armed forces during World War II (specifically created for Hermann Göring
  Hermann Göring
  Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
  
   to distinguish him from the other field marshals). Equivalent to General of the Armies of the United States
• Generalfeldmarschall
  Generalfeldmarschall
  Field Marshal or Generalfeldmarschall in German, was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire; in the Austrian Empire, the rank Feldmarschall was used...
  
   – General of the Army during World War II.
• Generaloberst – General, literally "highest" or "supreme general", usually translated "Colonel-general"; not used in the Bundeswehr
• General der Infanterie, Kavallerie, etc. – General (before 1956 equivalent to US Lieutenant General)
• Generalleutnant – Lieutenant-General (before 1956 equivalent to US Major General)
• Generalmajor – Major-General (before 1956 equivalent to US Brigadier General)
• Brigadegeneral – Brigadier General; not used prior to the Bundeswehr
• Oberst
  Colonel
  Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
  
   – Colonel, literally "highest"
• Oberstleutnant
  Oberstleutnant
  Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
  
   – Lieutenant Colonel
• Major
  Major
  Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
  
   – Major
• Hauptmann
  Hauptmann
  Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
  
  /Rittmeister
  Rittmeister
  Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
  
   – Captain
• Oberleutnant
  Oberleutnant
  Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
  
   – First Lieutenant
• Leutnant – (Second) Lieutenant
• Oberstabsfeldwebel/Oberstabsbootsmann – (Senior NCO
  Non-commissioned officer
  A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
  
  )
• Stabsfeldwebel/Hauptbootsmann – Master Sergeant (Senior NCO)
• Oberfeldwebel/Bootsmannsmaat – Technical Sergeant (Senior NCO)
• Fähnrich/Oberfähnrich – no perfect equivalent. Senior Officer Cadet with something like warrant officer status, used in functions like Ensign
  Ensign (rank)
  Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
  
  , passed Midshipman or 2nd Lieutenant but not commissioned.
• Fahnenjunker – no perfect equivalent. Most junior Officer Cadet with sergeant (US) or corporal (UK) status.
• Feldwebel
  Feldwebel
  Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
  
  /Wachtmeister
  Wachtmeister
  Wachtmeister was a German, Austrian and Swiss military rank of non-commissioned officers. It was also adopted into Russian Army vakhmistr and was used as Sergeant-grade rank in cavalry , then Special Corps of Gendarmes and Cossack cavalry and Cossack Leib Guard units...
  
  /Bootsmann – Staff Sergeant (Senior NCO)
• Unterfeldwebel – Sergeant; formerly called Sergeant prior to 1921 (not in use in the Bundeswehr)
• Stabsunteroffizer/Obermaat (Junior NCO)
• Unteroffizier
  Unteroffizier
  Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
  
  /Maat – Corporal (Junior NCO) (since the Bundeswehr
  Bundeswehr
  The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
  
   more comparable to Petty Officer
  Petty Officer
  A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
  
  )
• Oberstabsgefreiter – (enlisted personnel); not used prior to the Bundeswehr.
• Stabsgefreiter – (enlisted personnel)
• Hauptgefreiter – (enlisted personnel); not used prior to the Bundeswehr.
• Obergefreiter
  Obergefreiter
  Obergefreiter is a rank of the German and Swiss militaries which dates from the 19th century.The rank was only used in the German army's heavy artillery branch before 1919 and commonly established with the founding of the Reichswehr...
  
   – Lance-Corporal (enlisted personnel)
• Gefreiter
  Gefreiter
  Gefreiter is the German, Swiss and Austrian equivalent for the military rank Private . Gefreiter was the lowest rank to which an ordinary soldier could be promoted. As a military rank it has existed since at least the 16th century...
  
   – Private First Class (enlisted personnel)
• Obergrenadier/Oberschütze
  Oberschütze
  Oberschütze is a German military rank which was first used in the Bavarian Army of the late 19th century.It was commonly introduced in the Reichswehr in 1920....
  
   – Senior Private (not in use in the Bundeswehr)
• Grenadier/Schütze/Matrose/Flieger/Sanitäter – Private (enlisted personnel)

For additional comparisons, see Comparative military ranks of World War II

Comparative military ranks of World War II

The following table shows comparative officer ranks of major Allied and Axis powers during World War II. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks.KEY:*Comparative military ranks of World War I*List of comparative military ranks...

.

List of military operations

The German term for "Operation" is Unternehmen, literally "undertaking".

• Adlerangriffe
  Operation Eagle Attack
  Adlertag was the first day of Unternehmen Adlerangriff , which was the codename of a German military operation by the Luftwaffe to destroy the British Royal Air Force . By June 1940, the Allies had been defeated in Western Europe and Scandinavia...
  
  (Eagle Attack) series of raids against Royal Air Force
  Royal Air Force
  The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
  
   (RAF).
• Adlertag — Eagle Day; day one of intense raiding against RAF 13 August 1940 known as Operation Eagle Attack (postponed from 10 August).
• Anton — occupation of Vichy France, November 1942; later known as Atilla.
• Atilla — occupation of Vichy France, November 1942 (previously, Anton).
• Aufbau Ost — Eastern Buildup; build-up of arms prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union.
• Barbarossa
  Operation Barbarossa
  Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
  
  — invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Barbarossa
  Barbarossa
  Barbarossa, a name meaning red beard in Italian, may refer to any of these:-People:* Emperor Barbarossa or Frederick I , Holy Roman Emperor...
  
  , or "Red Beard" was the nickname for Emperor Frederick I, who attempted to unify Germanic states in the 12th century.
• Bernhard — scheme to counterfeit British bank notes and put them into circulation; begun in 1942.
• Bodenplatte — Base Plate; air offensive against Allied airfields in north-western Europe, New Year's Day 1945.
• Eiche — Oak; mission to rescue Benito Mussolini
  Benito Mussolini
  Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
  
   by Fallschirmjäger led by Skorzeny.
• Eisenhammer
  Operation Eisenhammer
  Operation Eisenhammer was a planned strategic bombing operation against power generators near Moscow and Gorky in the Soviet Union which was planned by Nazi Germany during World War II but eventually abandoned....
  
  - Iron Hammer, planned strategic bombing raid on Soviet electric power generation water turbines, potentially knocking out three-quarters of all western Soviet electrical generation capacity, never carried out
• Fall Blau - Case Blue; summer offensive in Southern Russia.
• Fall Gelb — Case Yellow; invasion of the Netherlands
  Netherlands
  The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
  
  , Belgium
  Belgium
  Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
  
   and France.
• Fall Grün
  Fall Grün
  Fall Grün was a pre-World War II German plan for an aggressive war against Czechoslovakia. The plan was first drafted late in 1937, then revised as the military situation and requirements changed...
  
  — Case Green; intended invasion of Czechoslovakia
  Czechoslovakia
  Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
  
  .
• Fall Rot — Case Red; counterstrike against France in the event of an attack from the West.
• Fall Weiß
  Fall Weiss
  Fall Weiss translates as Case White following the German military's naming convention.Fall Weiss may refer to two military operations:* Fall Weiss , the German strategic plan for a war with Poland...
  
  — Case White; invasion of Poland
  Poland
  Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
  
  .
• Felix — plan to capture Gibraltar
  Gibraltar
  Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
  
   in 1941. It never took place.
• Fischfang — Fish Trap; counterattack on the Allied beachhead at Anzio in February 1944.
• Greif — Griffin; dropping of English-speaking troops wearing American uniforms behind the Allied lines in the Ardennes
  Ardennes
  The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
  
  , prior to the Battle of the Bulge
  Battle of the Bulge
  The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
  
  .
• Herbstnebel — Autumn Mist; offensive in the Ardennes, December 1944. Better known as the Battle of the Ardennes.
• Herkules — projected invasion of Malta by Fallschirmjäger and the Navy. Never executed.
• Kathrin — Plan to help the Irish Republican Army to commit terrorism and disrupt British internal security.
• Merkur
  Battle of Crete
  The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
  
   — Mercury (the planet
  Mercury (planet)
  Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
  
   or the Roman god
  Mercury (mythology)
  Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
  
  , not the metal
  Mercury (element)
  Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
  
  ); airborne invasion of Crete 1941.
• Nordlicht — Northern Lights; attack on Leningrad
  Saint Petersburg
  Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
  
   in 1942.
• Nordwind
  Operation Nordwind
  Operation North Wind was the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front. It began on 1 January 1945 in Alsace and Lorraine in northeastern France, and it ended on 25 January.-Objectives:...
  
  — North Wind; counteroffensive in Alsace and Lorraine in January 1945.
• Panzerfaust
  Operation Panzerfaust
  Operation Panzerfaust, known as Unternehmen Eisenfaust in Germany, was a military operation to keep the Kingdom of Hungary at Germany's side in the war, conducted in October 1944 by the German military...
  
  — Armored Fist; the October 1944 mission to kidnap Miklós Horthy Jr, son of Hungarian Regent Admiral Miklós Horthy.
• Paukenschlag — Drumroll or Drumbeat; offensive against Allied shipping in US and Caribbean
  Caribbean
  The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
  
   waters in the first half of 1942.
• Pastorius — U-boat operation involving U-202 and U-548 setting 8 agents ashore in the USA in June 1942.
• Reinhard — covername for the entire process of building extermination camps, deportation of Jews first to ghetto
  Ghetto
  A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
  
  s, then to the concentration camps for extermination and incineration. Named for SD chief Reinhard Heydrich
  Reinhard Heydrich
  Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
  
  .
• Seelöwe — Sea Lion; projected amphibious assault on Great Britain in 1940/41. It never took place.
• Stösser
  Operation Stösser
  Operation Stösser was a paratroop drop into the American rear in the Hohes Veen area during the Battle of the Bulge. Their objective was to take and hold the "Baraque Michel" crossroads until the arrival of the 12th SS Panzer Division. The operation was led by Oberst Friedrich August Freiherr von...
  
  — parachute drop on evening of 16 December 1944; purpose was to seize a crossroads for Kampfgruppe Peiper during the Germans' Ardennes Offensive.
• Strafgericht — "punishment" air attacks on Belgrade
  Belgrade
  Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
  
  , April 1941.
• Taifun — Typhoon; push towards Moscow
  Moscow
  Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
  
   in September 1941.
• Tannenbaum
  Operation Tannenbaum
  Operation Tannenbaum , known earlier as Operation Green, was a planned but cancelled invasion of Switzerland by Nazi Germany during World War II.-Background:...
  
  — "fir-tree"; projected invasion of Switzerland
  Switzerland
  Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
  
   in 1940. Never carried out.
• Tiger — advance through the Maginot Line
  Maginot Line
  The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
  
   on the French border in June 1940.
• Wacht am Rhein — "Guard on the Rhine"; the December 1944 Ardennes offensive, known by Americans as the Battle of the Bulge.
• Walküre — Valkyrie Officially a Reserve Army contingency plan to restore law and order in the event a disruption caused by the Allied bombing of German cities caused a breakdown in law and order, or a rising by the millions of forced laborers German factories. Was, in fact, a major part of the failed July 20 Plot
  July 20 Plot
  On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
  
   to arrest SS and other Nazi officials and seize control of the German government.
• Weserübung — Weser Exercise (commonly, Water Exercise); invasion of Denmark and Norway, 9 April 1940
• Wintergewitter — Winter Gale; unsuccessful attempt to relieve the 6th Army at Stalingrad in December 1942.
• Zitadelle — Citadel; attack on Soviet salient at Kursk
  Kursk
  Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
  
  , July 1943.

See also

• Glossary of Nazi Germany
• Weimar paramilitary groups
  Weimar paramilitary groups
  Paramilitary groups were formed throughout the Weimar Republic in the wake of Germany's defeat in World War I and the ensuing German Revolution. Some were created by political parties to help in recruiting, discipline and in preparation for seizing power. Some were created before World War I....
  
  
• Ranks and Insignia of the German Army in World War II
• Ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel
  Ranks and insignia of the Schutzstaffel
  The uniforms and insignia of the Schutzstaffel were paramilitary ranks and uniforms used by the SS between 1925 and 1945 to differentiate that organization from the regular German armed forces, the German state, and the Nazi Party....
  
  
• Comparative military ranks of World War II
  Comparative military ranks of World War II
  The following table shows comparative officer ranks of major Allied and Axis powers during World War II. For modern ranks refer to Comparative military ranks.KEY:*Comparative military ranks of World War I*List of comparative military ranks...
  
  
• List of SS personnel

External links

• AFRIKAKORPS.Org German WWII Abbreviation List
• Luftarchiv.de List of Luftwaffe abbreviations
• Luftwaffe Ranks & their abbreviations
• Handbook on German Military Forces p. 34